Bonded
by J-Pop Princess
Summary: Sai, Sakura and Naruto have been having trouble with team work lately and Sai takes it upon himself to fix it, starting with Sakura. Unfortunately, his questionable methods are only made worse by seeking help from Kakashi and Icha Icha. SaiSaku LEMON
1. Chapter 1

Bonded

The dark haired shinobi's brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of the words on the page in front of him. While this book was fascinating, what it spoke of was extremely foreign to him and some of it was hard to understand, yet every page held enlightenment and opened the young ninja's eyes to possibilities he had never even considered.

The book seemed to answer many questions he had regarding interacting with other people, especially with the opposite sex who were indeed contradictory creatures and nearly impossible to read. Perhaps he had been going about things all wrong and it certainly would explain the negative and often violent reactions he got from some of the females he tried to associate with.

So engrossed was he in his reading, he missed entirely the few people that were shaking their heads silently in dismay as they passed, whispering behind their hands to each other that he would surely turn out just like his team leader if he kept reading _that_ sort of thing.

He finished the last page of the book and sighed, closing it with a snap as he leaned back in one of the many wooden chairs in Konoha's public library, his brain sifting through the information he had just ingested. He would have to go back and reread some of the more intriguing parts and then gather more books to continue his research. If the methods in this book proved effective, he would be able to strengthen his bond with his team, namely the frequently violent female, and make them a more efficient unit.

Sai stood from his seat, taking the orange jacketed paperback with him as he departed. Once he was done studying this book, he would have to go ask Kakashi-sempai for more. It seemed there were endless ways to interact with a woman in order to strengthen a bond with her and he had not done any of them. It was no wonder their team performance had been disappointing lately.

Why, just last week Naruto had given their position away to the enemy in an embarrassing display of disorder when he had lost his temper and yelled at him from their hiding place in the trees. Sai had nearly lost an eye to the kunai that had been hurled in their direction by an enemy nin. The last thing they needed were two members of Team Kakashi earning the nickname "Cyclops".

Really, Sai didn't understand what Naruto got so worked up about. He had merely commented on the size of Naruto's penis and the blonde had instantly flown into a frenzy, yelling obscenities and alerting the enemy to their presence.

The ink user had seen his male friend change in the locker room more than once so he wasn't saying anything that wasn't true. Apparently having a small penis was directly linked to being an angry individual. The theory made sense considering women had no penis at all and the majority of the ones he knew were usually angry, violent and all around frightening.

Once he was done with his research of the female species, he would go find Sakura. Surely she would agree to anything that made their team function better as a unit. She seemed to get along just fine with Naruto but he knew that they already had engaged in some of the activities described in the book he held, or at least that's what he'd heard from Sakura's loudmouthed friend in the flower shop.

The annoying blonde girl had been giggling and speaking enthusiastically to a kunoichi from another team as Sai sat on a bench outside the shop, sketching various images onto the pad of paper he always carried. He couldn't help but hear their excited voices as Sakura's friend informed the girl with twin buns on her head that Sakura and Naruto had gone home together after a particularly rambunctious night at the bar. Sai had vaguely remembered being invited but had opted to stay home and put the finishing touches on a painting instead. It appeared his team had decided to partake in bond strengthening activities without him and he regretted his decision not to go.

Neither Sakura nor Naruto had ever said anything about it in his presence but he could detect a subtle shift in they way they acted towards each other. The blonde wasn't quite so whiney and seemed to beg less for her attention and she didn't act quite so violently towards him, refraining from hitting him over the head even when he said something stupid. It was really quite interesting watching them interact, but Sai felt that it was all he ever got to do; watch from the outside as if he were behind a pane of glass.

As he walked out into the bright Konoha sunshine, the artist was determined to formulate a plan that would bring the three of them closer together. It wasn't like he was jealous of the fact that the two got along better with each other than with him. He simply wished for his team to be close knit to provide better mission results.

Tucking the book under his arm, Sai decided to track down the silver haired man that had lent him his research material. While the book had solved some aspects of the female enigma, it presented others and his team leader seemed to be quite knowledgeable on the subject. How could he not after reading all those books? Sai shuffled off to the training grounds in search of the silver haired team captain who probably had his nose buried in a book at that exact moment.

Sai had been right in his predictions of where to find the older man and what he would be doing this time of day. Kakashi was perched high in a tree, back slouching against the thick trunk and legs dangling lazily from a branch. An orange book similar to the one Sai had under his own arm currently had the elite ninja's full attention.

Sai stood at the base of the large tree and looked up at his team captain who had to know he was there. It was not easy to sneak up on a shinobi of Kakashi's caliber. However, the masked man continued to read on as if he were oblivious to everything else in the world. Sai wasn't surprised. His team leader was often like this when reading his books and now the artist could see why. They certainly were fascinating.

"Excuse me, Kakashi-sempai!

At the sound of his name, the Sharingan user finally lowered the book that had been covering his face and glanced down at the ground.

"Why hello there Sai," he said, giving the younger man a friendly eye crease. "I wasn't expecting to see you since we don't have team training scheduled for today. What brings you here?"

The stoic ninja held up the borrowed copy of Icha Icha Paradise.

"I have a few questions about this book sempai. It seems to me that women are complex and confusing creatures and I would like to better understand them."

Kakashi couldn't help but grin beneath his mask and replied, "Yeah, you and every other man alive."

The silver haired ninja dropped from his perch to land soundlessly beside the newest member of his team. He was glad the young man was finally taking an interest in the opposite sex. After all, the kid was already twenty and the time for his hormones to kick in was way overdue. Kakashi had begun to wonder if ROOT had conditioned the sexual impulse right out of the pale skinned artist, but then was pleasantly surprised one day when the young artist had asked to borrow one of the books he was always reading. Kakashi was only too happy to oblige and it seemed the novel had further piqued Sai's interest in women.

"Chances are you will never be able to understand women completely," Kakashi stated. "Their moods are constantly shifting and just when you think you can predict them, they change all over again."

Sai's brow furrowed in contemplation. "So what can I do to get along with them? Most of the time it seems that they only want to interact with me through acts violence."

Kakashi chuckled as he settled into a lazy slouch against the tree, crossing his arms casually over his chest. It was true that Sai was anything but a lady killer. His people skills were horrible at best but it didn't help that the women he saw the most were Sakura, Ino and Tsunade; three of Konoha's most short tempered and fiery willed females. No wonder he associated the opposite sex with pain.

"It's all about being sensitive Sai. You can't just blurt out whatever comes into your head. Doing so will put you in the same position as Naruto who suffers Sakura's wrath almost daily."

The artist looked down at the book in his hands and then back to the Copy ninja.

"So if I am sensitive towards women, I'll be able to participate in the acts described in these books?"

Kakashi wasn't sure to laugh out loud or cry for the poor kid. Despite being a battle hardened killer, he was utterly clueless when it came to handling everyday life.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," he said, shaking his head. "Seducing a woman is even harder than interacting with them. You have to make her feel comfortable around you and gain her trust. Otherwise, she'll never consent to anything more intimate."

"I see," Sai said thoughtfully. "So these intimate acts, they strengthen the bond between the people who partake in them?"

Well, yes," Kakashi said, a little surprised by the oddity of the question. "Sex is often treated casually, especially among shinobi, but some women place tremendous importance on it. Strong emotional ties can be formed between two people so be careful about whom you choose to pursue. Women often put a greater emotional emphasis on sex than men do and that's how women end up getting emotionally hurt."

"Hmm…interesting," the artistic ninja mused, appearing to think over what Kakashi had said. "So…for this bond to form, does the woman have to reach completion? All the woman in the stories always seem to."

A slender silver eyebrow arched upwards into his hairline. This kid really was a strange one, but given the fact that Sai had been raised for the sole purpose of killing without showing weakness or humanity, Kakashi figured the least he could do was satisfy the young man's curiosity by answering a few questions and hopefully set him straight.

"Well, she doesn't _have_ to finish but it certainly helps. However, getting a woman to achieve orgasm is not as easy as these books make it seem. It takes skill and patience and a lot of communication with your partner. You have to focus on her needs and not your own or she will never reach her peak."

"I see," Sai said with a nod of understanding. "So what can I do to make sure she finishes? Should I use the methods described in this book?"

The dark haired shinobi flipped open the book to a particular scene that had intrigued him, complete with a coinciding illustration on the opposite page.

Kakashi stepped away from the tree to peer over the younger man's shoulder before he chuckled and nodded.

"As a beginner, I would recommend using simpler methods, but don't think she likes to be touched only here and here."

The ninja emphasized his point by pointing to the drawn woman's bountiful breast and the trim path or hair between her legs.

"Touch her everywhere using your lips, teeth, tongue, fingers, anything. Be creative but be respectful of her. The situation may change and you'll have to adapt, just as if you were fighting an opponent. Use your instincts and your own originality and you'll probably have her coming back for more."

"So, there is no single method for giving a woman an orgasm…" Sai murmured, repeating the fact almost to himself.

"Sex is not a science," Kakashi chuckled in amusement. "But once you've had some practice, you can try something a little more advanced, something like this."

The Copy ninja flipped open his own orange book to an illustration that made Sai's eyes go wide. He stared at the detailed picture, his head tilting a little to the side as he tried to make sense of the two intertwined bodies on the page in front of him.

"Wouldn't that hurt her?" Sai finally asked

"Not if done right," Kakashi answered.

"I see."

The masked man could almost see the wheels in his head turning and he couldn't help but wonder what this socially inept ninja was planning.

"Would it be possible for you to lend me this book as well? This subject is quite intriguing and I'd like to research it further if that's all right with you," the ink user said.

"Sai, I have a whole apartment full of these books and you're welcome to them. We can go there now if you want and we can talk more on the way."

The younger man nodded and gave his sempai one of his smiles that was almost certainly fake. Kakashi didn't think the kid even knew how to smile for real, so far repressed were all of his emotions.

The Copy Nin clapped his team member encouragingly on his black clad shoulder. He wasn't sure if he was being completely responsible at the moment, educating an ex-ANBU member in the joys of sex and then letting him run rampant through Konoha, attempting to seduce women without having a real concept of how to properly socialize with others.

Sai would probably earn himself a slap or two when he said the wrong thing to the wrong women but hell, isn't that how everyone learned? Yes, Konoha's shinobi were weapons of war but that didn't mean they weren't human too and Kakashi was tired of sitting back and watching one of his own team walk mechanically through life because he believed there was no other way to live.

As the two of them began to make their way toward Kakashi's apartment, the silver haired man couldn't help but wonder if Sai's sudden interest in women was spurred on by one in particular. He was about to ask but then decided he probably didn't really want to know. Whoever it was, he couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the poor girl.

He spotted his target almost immediately. The pink hair made her easy to pick out among the throng of people at the crowded bar and he pushed his way towards her to take up the empty barstool at her side.

Sai wasn't used to interacting in crammed environments. His work in ANBU hadn't required him to interact with more than the occasional partner or work as a three man unit. A lot of times he worked solo on missions and slipped from shadow to shadow under the cover of night, melting into the darkness and never alerting anyone to his presence. If things went as planned, nobody ever noticed he was there, not even the few he had been sent to assassinate until the kunai was at their throat, but by then it was already too late.

Being a permanent member of team seven however was a different thing entirely and Sai often found himself unsure of what to do in a social setting. Although he would have been more comfortable talking to Sakura somewhere secluded, he supposed he should be thankful for the medic asking him to meet her here. There had been more than one occasion in his research material where the male and female made first contact in a bar such as this before moving to more a private location and engaging in intimate relations. Kakashi-sempai had even mentioned that people went to bars for the express purpose of finding a partner for the evening so perhaps Sakura desired the same thing he did and wished to express it by inviting him here. After all, isn't that how things started when Sakura and Naruto had gone home together? So far, things were going smoothly.

After his chat with Kakashi, Sai had visited Sakura at the hospital where she was helping out for the day. She had seemed quite surprised to see him but was too busy to talk properly and had suggested they meet later after her work at the hospital was done.

As he took his seat, the dark haired artist discovered that after reading Kakashi's books, he was seeing Sakura in a whole new light. He noticed the way her lips closed over the rim of her glass as she sipped her sake and the way the muscles along the slender column of her throat contracted as she swallowed. He noticed the curve of her breast and swell of her hips, and though neither were as impressive as the women in the Icha Icha illustrations, they were still pleasing to look at. What really caught his attention however were her legs as they dangled off her stool. They were long and slender and well defined without being overly muscular. Her knee high black sandals hugged her calves like a glove, accentuating their shape, and the bit of bare thigh that showed below her skirt suddenly seemed far more intriguing then it had the day before.

Despite the fact he was constantly calling her a hag, he had always found her aesthetically pleasing from an artist's perspective and had sketched her a few times when he didn't think she would notice and beat him to a pulp. But before, he had viewed her as a team mate, a comrade. Now he was looking at her as a woman and couldn't help but wonder what places on that smooth toned body would bring her pleasure if touched just right.

"Hey Sai," Sakura said with a smile as she poured herself another glass of warm sake.

The kunoichi had turned twenty not too long ago and it seemed she was taking full advantage of her new legal age. The pink haired woman noticed her teammate's eyes shift to the half empty bottle and sighed.

"It was a _long_ day at the hospital," she stated, bringing the glass to her lips once more.

Sai simply nodded although he wondered why working an apparently longer shift warranted extreme alcohol consumption. Perhaps he would ask Kakashi about it later.

Sakura put down her glass and let out a satisfied sigh as she felt the liquid burn her throat and warm her stomach.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" she asked, turning to face him.

"Sakura, I am deeply concerned about our ability to function as a team, not just you and I, but Naruto too."

The medic rolled her jade colors eyes and sighed, this time in exasperation.

"Despite all that extra training he got from Jiraiya, he still acts like a complete idiot sometimes. I can't believe he tried to pick a fight with you in the middle of a mission and totally gave away our position. He could have gotten us all killed!"

Sai nodded solemnly as he watched Sakura take another swig of the clear liquid in her glass.

"But it's not just Naruto," he said. "All three of us are lacking a base connection that allows us to operate flawlessly together. However, you and Naruto seemed to have a connection that's far deeper than anything I have with either of you and it shows. You instinctually know how to work with each other on missions and during combat, and while you two don't always utilize it, it still is apparent."

"Well, that doesn't really surprise me Sai," Sakura said, picking up her glass once more. "Naruto and I have known each other since we were kids and have been on the same team together since we were twelve. We underwent training together, countless missions together, and I think our mutual desire to bring Sasuke back tied us closer than anything. You can't just expect that type of bond to form immediately with a new member. It takes time."

While Sakura had a point, there was something else in the equation. She had allowed Naruto to connect with her not only emotionally, but on a physical level as well. If what he overheard from Ino was true, their bodies had been united as one and they had formed a whole new type of bond with each other, a bond he longed to establish with his team mates as well.

"I know that," Sai answered calmly, fixating his dark eyes on the pink haired kunoichi. "But I couldn't help but notice that the bond you have with Naruto has grown even stronger lately. You two get along better and you execute commands better. I was wondering if what happened between the two of you could happen between you and me."

Sakura seemed to stiffen in her chair, her green eyes growing wide before darting off to the side and avoiding his onyx gaze.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she mumbled before retreating to her drink again, holding the glass to her lips so she wouldn't have to look at him.

Sai was confused. Why had she become so withdrawn at the mention of her altered relationship with Naruto? She was acting like it had been a negative experience yet, from the way they acted around each other, he guessed their time together had been quite enjoyable. Perhaps she didn't want anyone to know what had transpired, but that didn't make sense to him either. If their coupling resulted in better teamwork, what was there to be ashamed of?

This must be a perfect example of a woman's moods shifting. Sakura's frame of mind had changed almost instantly at the mention of the apparently touchy subject and now he would have to adapt to the situation just like Kakashi had said he would. Perhaps a change of scenery away from the crowds and cigarette smoke would help her open up.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Sai asked suddenly as his female team mate drained her glass.

"A walk? Where to?" Sakura asked skeptically, reaching for the sake bottle only to discover that it was empty.

"Anywhere is fine. It just seems a bit crowded in here."

"It's not crowded. You're just anti-social," Sakura said with a giggle, her mood once again fluctuating. Sai wondered if all women were this unstable.

He noticed she was about to signal the bartender for another bottle and reached out to her, closing his hand gently around her wrist. He had been taught the effects of alcohol on the human body during early training. Poor judgment, slowed reflexes and memory loss weren't side effects any shinobi should wish to attain but everyone seemed to drink anyway. Sai personally never touched the stuff and if he was to coax Sakura into physical union tonight, he didn't want her experience dulled by alcohol that could potentially weaken the bond formed between them.

"You don't need another bottle Sakura," he said, his voice gentle, but firm.

Sakura stared at him in surprise and for a moment, contemplated shaking him off roughly and ordering another round, but in the end relented and gave him a small smile.

"Ok," she answered simply.

Sai responded with a smile of his own though his was undoubtedly fake, his eyes squinting closed, hiding the fact that the smile did nothing to warm their dark depths. She wanted to see him smile for real, just once, yet she doubted the ex-ANBU even had the ability.

Her team mate stood and held out his hand to her, fake smile still intact.

"Shall we go?"

Sakura allowed him to pull her up from the stool and guide her through the smoky room toward the door. Despite the fact that he was completely clueless when it came to life outside of shinobi duty, he still had some good qualities in him.

They emerged into the cool evening air and Sakura filled her lungs with it, welcoming it after the murky haze that had filled the bar. The moon was nearly full and bathed the village in soft blue light. Sai's pale skin practically glowed alabaster under the moon's radiance, emphasizing his face, midriff and his right arm which wasn't covered by his odd half jacket.

They meandered for a while, chatting casually although the conversation usually ended in Sai becoming confused to what exactly they were talking about. In so many ways, the dark haired man was just like a child; eyes barely opened to the world around him. He had an innocence about him that seemed so out of place considering he had the capacity to be deadly and ruthless. Sakura found the revelation to be simultaneously frightening, endearing and a little sad.

After a bit, they came to the red bridge on which she had spent so much time with Naruto and Sasuke in their youth, usually waiting for their chronically late sensei to appear. The water flowed silently beneath them but all around were the sounds of frogs calling in the night.

Their walking slowed and came to a stop and Sakura leaned casually against the guardrail, her elbows resting on the wood behind her as she looked up into the darkened sky, marveling at the moon and its brilliance.

Sakura was preoccupied with the blackness above her and didn't notice Sai watching her silently. His eyes drifted over her from head to toe and he decided that she really was rather attractive and was glad that the teammate he planned to couple with was so easy on the eyes.

"Sakura, do you agree that Team Seven's lack of cohesion is a problem?" he asked softly.

"Well yeah, it's pretty obvious isn't it?" Sakura said without shifting her gaze from the stars. "Some days we mix just about as well as oil and water."

"If there was a way to fix the problem, would you do everything you could to help?"

"Of course Sai, but solutions aren't that easy, it's not like we can—"

The kunoichi cut her own sentence short as she felt as she felt her team mate's presence draw much closer to her. He was so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. He was indisputably invading her personal bubble when usually he kept his distance and Sakura, in her slight alcohol induced haze, didn't know what to make of it.

"Good. That's exactly what I wanted to hear Sakura."

The pink haired woman barely had time to react as she felt his hands come up to lightly cup her cheeks, trapping her face in his grasp as his lips descended on hers. His body pressed against her, pushing her back into the weathered wood of the bridge. Her eyes grew wide as she realized just what exactly was happening. Sai, the out of place, socially retarded weirdo, was _kissing _her! Hadn't they just been talking about solutions to fixing their poor performance as a team? What the hell did this have to do with anything? And why was she standing there like a statue as he brushed his lips over hers without her consent in this ridiculously romantic setting?

Regaining her wits, she pressed both hands on the artist's chest and shoved him away. He stumbled backwards in surprise and eyed her quizzically. She wasn't supposed to act like that. The women in Kakashi's books were always reduced to needy, wanton creatures at the first kiss but his own rendition seemed to be having little effect on his female teammate. In fact, it seemed to anger her. Maybe his kissing technique was lacking.

Sakura gingerly touched a finger to her lips as if they burned from the contact before turning incredulous and infuriated eyes on the dark haired man in front of her.

"What the hell is _wrong_ with you?" she practically screamed before wiping her mouth savagely with the back of her hand. "What made you think that it was ok to kiss me?"

The singing of countless frogs grew silent at the sound of her angry voice. The stood bathed in moonlight with only the occasional buzz of a night insect sounding around them.

"I thought you said you would do anything to improve our performance as a team," Sai said after a moment, genuinely confused by the medic's outburst. Hadn't she just said she would willingly help in any way she could to enhance their teamwork? Maybe the alcohol she had consumed earlier was already affecting her memory

"I did," Sakura replied. "But I don't see what the hell that has to do with kissing!"

Sai tried advancing on her again, reaching out his hand to take hers.

"Don't you see Sakura? If we join our bodies, then the union of our minds will follow. We will be able to strengthen our bond and become a better team."

For a moment, Sakura just stared at him slack jawed. What the hell was he talking about? Joining their bodies? He didn't mean…

Sakura's eyes flicked down to her hand held in his and then back to his face which was currently displaying one of his false, squinty eyed smiles. She didn't know too much about the newest member of her team but she was pretty sure he was completely ignorant when it came to sex. He couldn't even have a decent conversation for crying out loud.

She tried to jerk her hand away but Sai just pulled her towards him, wrapping an arm around her lower back and kissing her again. This time the press of his lips was more forceful and insistent but Sakura would not be subdued.

She wrenched herself away and balled her hand into a fist, intending to deliver not just a slap or a solid punch, but a slightly chakra enhanced blow that probably would have sent him straight through the wooden bridge and into the stream below.

Years of ANBU training proved useful as Sai nimbly avoided her attack, dodging to let her follow through with the attack and connect with nothing but air while he easily maneuvered behind her.

His research had never reported a woman reacting so violently to attempted seduction, but then again, none of them were Sakura. What should have been an effortless process of stoking her passion and leading her home to his bed was proving to be quite a tricky task. Circumstances had changed once again just like Kakashi had warned and now he would have to adapt once more. It seemed a more forceful method would be needed.

Sakura whirled around on her opponent, chakra infused fist poised for attack, when she saw Sai making the final hand signs for an unknown jutsu. She moved to strike him in the chest and prematurely end his attack but his fingers were already glowing with chakra.

She glanced to his face warily. She still knew so little about what he was capable of and had no idea what attack he planned to use on her. After his completely unforeseen attempt to kiss her, Sakura had no idea what to expect from him anymore.

She lunged at him again, intending to strike him low at his center of gravity but he was already moving away from her and the alcohol had taken the edge off her fighting abilities. Her fist grazed his hip and while it threw him off balance, it didn't knock him down. He recovered immediately and was already behind her before she could turn. She gasped when she felt his fingers come up to her temples and rest there with a surprisingly gentle touch considering they were in the middle of a fight.

However, the tingle of his chakra told her she'd been caught by his attack and instantly she felt consciousness slipping away. The world dissolved into black and soon she sagged heavily in her teammate's arms.

The dark haired artist let out a sigh. Why were women so difficult? He hadn't wanted to resort to this but apparently it was necessary with a person like her. He gently hoisted her unconscious form over his shoulder and began walking towards the edge of Konoha where his current residence was. On his way there, he only passed one other couple, out taking a late night stroll. When they looked quizzically at the slender man with a body slung over his shoulder, he simply offered them a fake smile and stated,

"Too much to drink."

Their sympathetic looks were enough to assure him that he was no longer suspicious. At least all the sake she had consumed was good for something.


	2. Chapter 2

Bonded

Sakura opened her eyes slowly, trying to fight off the groggy feeling that surrounded her. She was lying flat on her back on something soft, a bed from the feel of it and her arms were stretched out over her head. She blinked owlishly as she tried to make her eyes focus on her surroundings. The room was dimly lit and very spacious. It seemed to be someone's living quarters by the look of it but their residence was one continuous room, undivided by doors, walls or sliding screens. Tables, dressers and other vertical surfaces seemed to be cluttered with a montage of papers and empty cans holding various brushes, pencils and sticks of charcoal. Half finished and completed sketches lay stacked everywhere and it was all too obvious to the pink haired kunoichi whose home she was in. For a nearly robotic member of ANBU, she would have thought Sai would have kept his house a little tidier. Speaking of which, where was he?

Sakura tried to bring her hands down to her eyes to rub away the last of the sleepy feeling, only to discover she couldn't move. Tugging harder did nothing to free her either. She could feel ropes rubbing against her wrists and if she concentrated, could feel the slight tingle of chakra running through her restraints, making it obvious that she wasn't going anywhere. Sai definitely had some explaining to do.

Just then a door opened and closed some where behind her and she couldn't turn her head far enough to see who it was, but the familiar chakra signature told her that it was indeed Sai. She guessed he had just come from the bathroom since there wasn't one in her line of sight and the only other door seemed to lead outside.

"Oh, you're awake," he said casually while walking around to the foot of the bed. He acted as if having a female tied to his bed was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Sai, what the hell am I doing in your house?" she asked angrily, glaring at him with piecing jade eyes. "Untie me now!"

The artist just shook his head.

"If I let you go now, I won't be able to bond with you. You seemed quite unwilling the last time I tried even though you promised you would do everything you could to help us function as a team. I'm afraid I'll have to use different methods."

Sakura vaguely remembered the odd series of events that had no doubt led her here. Sai's seemingly random visit to her place of work, their chat in the bar, their moonlight walk that had been cut short when the young elite had attempted to kiss her, and their fight on the bridge which she had _lost_. She knew she was a sloppy fighter when she drank but she never thought she'd have to defend herself against her own teammate. What was he thinking, tying her up like this? And this "bonding" he spoke of, he didn't really mean sex did he? She was _not_ about to have sex with this socially retarded shut in.

"Sai, I don't know what the hell you think you're doing but if you touch me, I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life!" she hissed venomously, struggling against the ropes holding her down.

The dark haired man didn't seem intimidated in the least and instead just offered another fake smile.

"Shame on you Sakura. We'll never get closer if you keep acting like that."

She continued to squirm, tugging at the bonds until they were cutting into her wrists but it was no use. The ropes held her fast.

Breathing a sigh of defeat, she met the man's inky dark eyes.

"Fine, Sai, what do you want?"

For a moment he said nothing and simply looked at her, and Sakura couldn't help but feel vulnerable as his eyes roved over her clothed body.

"I want you," he stated simply before shrugging out of his half jacket, revealing both toned arms before sinking onto the bed. His dark eyes held a certain intensity Sakura had never seen before as he crawled towards her on his hands and knees.

'Oh God, what is he _doing_?' Sakura thought as Sai moved towards her. Her gut instinct told her to run but she wasn't going anywhere with the ropes around her wrists. She stared at him defiantly, trying not to notice the way his bare arms flexed with his movements. Being a kunoichi meant spending a lot of time with fellow male shinobi but she still hadn't developed an immunity to their well-muscled bodies. Unfortunately for her, Inner Sakura noticed immediately and made a point to ogle the masculine flesh with a grin.

'_For such a scrawny guy, he sure has nice arms. I wonder if the rest of him looks this goo_—'

'Shut up!' Sakura thought fiercely, trying to silence her opinionated inner voice. She had more urgent matters to attend to than arguing with herself, like avoiding being raped by this ANBU freak of nature.

The kunoichi was not about to lie there passively as a member of her own team had their way with her. Before he could move to straddle her body and restrain her legs, Sakura pulled back one knee and waited for Sai to move in closer before snapping it upwards and letting her heel catch him in the jaw. Sakura smirked at the satisfying crack of her foot connecting with his face and the force of the blow sent her careening backwards and straight off the bed. Maybe _that_ would teach him for messing with Sakura Haruno.

A series of pained groans followed a moment of silence as Sai collected his wits and picked himself up off the floor. It seemed the pink haired woman was going to be an even bigger challenge than he had previously thought. He should have restrained her legs too but it would be too dangerous to try and hold them down now. He would just have to win her over as best he could while avoiding those powerful legs of hers.

He raised a hand to his throbbing jaw and discovered it was already starting to swell. He really couldn't understand it. None of the books he had read had ever portrayed a woman putting up such resistance. In fact, they were often the instigators of such couplings, tricking men into bed with them and taking the lead once they had them there. However, it seemed Sakura planned to fight him tooth and nail, regardless of the benefits their union could have for their team. He'd heard that forcing a woman into such activities could have harmful psychological effects, but at this point, it seemed nothing else was going to get through to her.

Sakura watched the dark haired man get up and noted that his jaw was already starting to bruise. If he didn't release her so she could heal the wound, it would swell into an unsightly mess. Maybe _that_ would motivate him to untie her and leave her alone from now on.

However, Sakura was quite distressed to see Sai summon chakra to his fingers that glowed a medicinal green instead of the regular blue.

"You know how to heal?" she cried in dismay as the artist held his glowing fingers to his face.

"A little." Sai answered as if it was nothing to be surprised about. "I can't mend broken bones or regenerate tissue or anything like that but I was trained in the most basic of medical jutsus and can heal minor injuries."

"Next time I'll make sure I break your bones then." Sakura growled through gritted teeth as her plan to set herself free went down the drain.

"Now Sakura-chan, don't be like that," Sai chastised, reaching for the zipper at his throat that held his black top together. "I'm sure you didn't act like this when you had sex with Naruto."

Whatever Sakura was going to say was instantly lost as her eyes grew wide at the artist's words. She had wondered if Sai had alluded to the night she had spent with her blonde teammate while the two of them were in the bar but had dismissed it as her own paranoia at being found out. Apparently he knew far more than he had previously let on and had brought it up with his usual lack of tact.

"I-I don't know what you mean," She stuttered, determined to be defiant in the face of his accusations, although it was hard to be intimidating when tied helplessly to a bed.

"Don't play dumb. I know you two had intercourse," Sai said simply as he walked to the head of the bed, making sure to avoid her legs. "Ever since then you two have been getting along far better and even perform better in joint combat and on missions. Sex has obviously improved your relationship and the way you work as a team. I think it would be beneficial for us to do the same."

Sakura was dumbfounded as she looked up at the man hovering above her. Had her relationship with Naruto really changed so much? Sure they got along better because she now saw him in a whole new light. He was no longer like an annoying younger brother but a man and an attractive one at that. Their one night stand had been just that; a fling, a simple night of mutual pleasure and she doubted they would do it again, but one time was all it had taken to change the chemistry between them. She hadn't even thought of what it would do to their team mechanics and fortunately, there had been no awkward feelings the next day when they had woken up side by side, skin to skin, but she had never guessed that they might actually work better together after such an experience.

Was Sai really so perceptive or was he just trying to con her into sleeping with him? As soon as the thought came, she dismissed it. Sai was definitely _not_ the type to tricking a girl into having sex. Hell, he didn't seem like the type to have sex at all, but that didn't change the fact that he was standing above her and sliding the zipper of his top down, letting the garment fall off his shoulders and to the floor.

'_Damn_.' Inner Sakura said appreciably, her eyes shamelessly wandering his slender, but defined torso and small brownish nipples that stood out against his pale skin. Her outer counterpart was inclined to agree because, though she saw plenty of his midriff all day long, he never took off the jacket in her presence. She had to admit that he wasn't bad to look at, but that didn't mean she wanted to be in this position anymore than she previously had.

"The thing with Naruto was a one time thing," she said defensively as Sai sat down on the bed next to her. "We had both had way too much to drink and it just kind of…happened."

Just kind of happened? Sai let her explanation sink in. Perhaps a bond was best formed if the coupling was impromptu, but that didn't make sense. There had been plenty of instances in his research where two people had prearranged an encounter and had grown quite close as a cause of it.

"Well, why don't you 'just let it happen' with me then?" Sai said as he leaned over her prone form.

Sakura stiffened as she felt the heat from his body wash over her skin as he bent over her, dark eyes looking into hers as if they were searching her very soul.

"Because…I…we…"

His eyes slid closed, breaking their gaze a second before his lips touched her own. This kiss was gentler and slower than his previous ones and yet Sakura refused to respond, remaining ridged even when his tongue swept over her full lower lip.

This could not be happening. Sai was practically asexual! He had never shown an interest in women before to her knowledge but now, all his attention seemed to be focused on her and getting into her pants. As his teeth bit her bottom lip almost playfully, she found that she just might see where this odd turn of events went. Where the hell had he learned to kiss like this anyways?

When his teeth nipped a little harder, Sakura couldn't repress a gasp and Sai took the opportunity to let his tongue pass her parted lips and begin exploring her mouth.

Sakura immediately stiffened again at the feeling of his tongue against hers and was brought back to her senses. She wanted nothing to do with this man, at least in the sexual context. He was weird, creepy even, and even if he slightly resembled a certain ninja she had been crushing on since childhood, she was not about to jump in bed with him.

With her arms still restrained, and unable to use her legs against him, she did the only thing she could think of. She bit down…hard.

The ink user's grunt of pain was muffled against her lips but he pulled back quickly before she could draw blood.

Sai was utterly perplexed by her actions. Perhaps she was playing hard to get, a ridiculous game he had read about in which woman clearly wanted a man and his attention but pretended they didn't. Well if she was going to react to his kisses like that, perhaps he should focus on a part of her body that didn't bite back.

He shifted his body and slung a leg over her hips to straddle her waist as she glared at him angrily.

"You just can't take a hint can you?" she seethed. "I want you to stop!"

At this, Sai gave her another fake smile. He had heard those words before in his research and he had been informed of their _real_ message.

"I know what those words really mean," he said. "'No' means 'yes' and 'stop' means 'keep going'."

Was this man an idiot?

Sakura stared at him blankly for a moment, too dumfounded by his odd statement to speak.

"Where the hell did you come up with something like that? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" she finally shrieked, her hands still tugging futilely at her bonds.

"In my research," Sai stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world as he leaned forward and braced a hand on the mattress near her head while the other reached for the zipper of her red top.

"What kind of perverted research are you talking about?" Sakura cried in disgust.

Seriously, was this guy studying with ero-sennin now too? She could imagine the three of them together, Jiraiya, Sai and Naruto all ogling women in bath houses from a nearby bush and the artist taking notes and drawing sketches for reference. Now _that_ was a frightening thought.

"Where the hell do you get your source material?" she spat. "Because you obviously don't have a clue about—hey!"

During Sakura's rant, Sai had gripped the zipper of her top between his fingers and now pulled it down with one sharp tug. Because the kunoichi had spent all day in the hospital and not out doing any rigorous training, she had decided to forego bindings today and had nothing but her shirt to cover her. Now her breasts were revealed to him and she could do nothing to cover herself.

"Sai!" she screamed angrily, wriggling against him but doing nothing to throw his weight off of her as he stared at her exposed chest.

This was not the first time Sai had seen a pair of naked breasts. He _was_ an artist after all, but they had never been so close to him, so accessible. Despite her protests, he reached out and let his fingers drag over the curve of one fleshy mound, noting how smooth and supple the flesh was.

Sakura was nothing like the voluptuous women in the illustrations but her body was still aesthetically pleasing and the sight of her bare breasts stirred something deep within him, though he wasn't sure what. It was strange and unfamiliar and unlike anything he had felt while serving in ANBU.

He let his fingers trail to the pink nipple centered on her breast and ran the calloused pad of his thumb over it experimentally. The small nub puckered and hardened under his touch, a reaction he found most interesting and noticed that his actions elicited a gasp from his previously uncooperative team mate.

"Sai, stop that," she growled menacingly in a tone that would have had him running for his life if she were unbound.

Keeping to his theory of her demands having the opposite meaning, he trailed his fingers over her nipple again, earning a similar response. It seems a woman's nipple's were indeed as sensitive as his research indicated. No wonder men spent so much time on them if the lightest touch could bring pleasure.

Sitting back slightly, he brought his unused hand to her other breast so he could touch them both simultaneously and shifted his eyes to her face to gauge her reactions.

When their eyes met, he noted that much of the anger had gone out of them but she still didn't look happy. Odd, women in his research were usually enthralled by the time they reached this stage.

"Why are you doing this?" she said darkly, trying to ignore the fact that Inner Sakura was rather enjoying the way his fingers were drawing lazy circles around her rosy areolas.

"I'm sure you enjoyed doing this with Naruto," Sai said softly, dark eyes boring into green ones. "Why can't you just enjoy this with me too?"

She was about to say something about Naruto not being a weird and socially stunted freak who was totally clueless about women but was cut off when her captor took her nipples between his fingers and pinched lightly, sending flashes of heat straight to her lower abdomen.

"Sai!" she gasped as her back arched involuntarily into his hands. This was not how she'd wanted to react. She didn't want to show him she was enjoying this!

'_Why not? If you do, I'm sure he'll do more_,' Inner Sakura offered helpfully.

That was exactly what Outer Sakura was afraid of.

The ink user cocked his head to the side thoughtfully and repeated the action, drawing another gasp from her lips and causing her eyes to slide closed. It appeared he was having the desired effect on her.

Growing bolder, he tugged gently on the hardened peaks and noticed that her breathing was growing more rapid and irregular, a sure sign of building arousal.

Intent on finding more ways to please her, he cupped her breasts in his palms and squeezed lightly, enjoying the feel of the pliant flesh.

The kunoichi made a small noise in the back of her throat and forced her eyes open. Sai was still staring at her intently, searching her face for any kind of reaction as he fondled her gently.

"We should stop this," she said, trying to sound firm. "This is wrong."

Did that mean she thought what they were doing was right? Women always spoke in riddles it seemed, but if he were to judge by her reactions, it appeared she liked what he was doing.

He dragged his attention down to her soft globes and began to massage them in a circular motion while his thumbs teased her erect nipples.

Sakura couldn't repress the shiver that went through her but wasn't ready to give up the fight. With a cry that sounded almost desperate she said, "Dammit Sai! We can't do this! Untie me!"

Once again Sai was confused. Why didn't she just relax and moan his name like all the women in the countless scenarios he had read. It figured that he would be stuck with the world's most troublesome female as a team mate.

"But your body is responding favorably to what I'm doing," he said, meeting her eyes once more. "I am obviously giving you pleasure so why do you want me to untie you?"

'_He has a point_,' her inner will observed. '_Although his methods _are_ a little questionable.'_

Sakura didn't think "questionable" began to cover it.

"If you relax, I'm sure it will feel even better," Sai said before tugging on her nipples once more.

The pink haired woman had to make an effort not to squirm under his touch as his fingers brushed, tugged, tweaked and caressed her flesh. The heat in her stomach had grown unbearably hot and was starting to manifest itself as wetness between her legs. Her body was indeed responding favorably to his touches and she couldn't help but feel betrayed by it, angry with herself for not having more self control.

Sai thought back to what Kakashi had told him on the way to his apartment. He had said that the best way to pleasure a woman before intercourse was to prime her body with the mouth and fingers. His research supported that theory as well. As much as he was enjoying her heavy breathing and soft gasps, he wanted to hear the impassioned cries and moans that a woman supposedly made when caught up in utter lust.

He shifted his weight, moving to sit atop her thighs instead of her hips so he could lean down and brush his lips over the soft skin of her breasts.

Sakura cracked an eye open at the sensation and found Sai's eyes still trained on her as he let his tongue snake out to draw a circle around a pink areola.

"Sai!" she gasped, her body shuddering beneath him at the feeling of his hot, wet tongue. "Wait…you can't—ahhhhh!"

Convinced by her body's response that this was the right course of action, Sai drew the hardened nipple into his mouth, immediately earning himself the cry he had been looking for.

Sakura's hands jerked at her restraints, trying to break free so she could push him away but remained powerless to do anything but lay there as the ex-ANBU let his tongue flick back and forth over her hardened nipple.

She bit her lip, hoping to muffle the pleasured sounds she was making so as not to encourage him further but it was obvious to both of them that her body liked what he was doing.

His eyes, deep and dark, were still fixed on hers and it was slightly unnerving to know he was scrutinizing her every reaction, learning what she liked and didn't like simply from her expression. She squeezed her own eyes shut so she wouldn't have to look at him because the sight of him staring at her while he suckled the top of her breast made the experience far too personal, not that it wasn't already.

Sai was fascinated by soft flesh that was against his lips. It was firm, yet pliant, the nipples hard yet silky and all of it seemed to be abundant in nerve endings for every nip and nibble extracted another gasp from her.

The artist decided he rather liked doing these things to Sakura, for while she was no doubt feeling extreme pleasure, he was enjoying it as well. No wonder many of his fellow shinobi sought out a woman to bed when they felt lonely. He was already feeling closer to Sakura that he ever had before. The smell of her skin and the feel of her flesh were making him want to touch her all the more. It was fortunate he had all the time in the world, for she wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon.

He let his tongue sweep over the pink peak before administering gentle bites. He was thorough in his work, sometimes letting his mouth wander to the soft underside of her breast, trailing kisses as he went before returning back to her nipple. He would suck on it, feeling the nub harden further in his mouth and then pull away with a loud pop to blow cool air over the dampened skin, pleased with the way it made her tremble. His nimble fingers continued to pinch and tease the nipple his mouth wasn't exploring and he had to brace his free hand on the bed to keep himself from sliding off her writhing form.

He was learning quickly, repeating the actions she liked and easing up when he was too rough. He immediately released her nipple from between his teeth when her gasps turned slightly pained and instead let his tongue slide over her to soothe the tender flesh. It seemed like she preferred being handled gently.

As much as she hated to admit it, Sakura had never felt anything like this. Her first time having sex had been with Naruto after a long night of partying at the bar. Both of them had been heavily intoxicated and by the time they got back to his place, she had no inhibitions about stripping and jumping into bed with him. Naruto had tried to be gentle but just as in fighting; he was overzealous and a little careless, reaching his peak without her and immediately falling asleep. She didn't regret what they'd done. If she had to lose her virginity to someone, she was glad it was him since Sasuke had left them long ago and seemed to have no intention of coming back.

And yet, she felt like perhaps she had missed something crucial. If sex was supposed to be such a big deal, why didn't she feel compelled to do it again after her first time with Naruto? Now, as Sai switched his mouth to lavish attention on the other breast, she understood a little better. There was a far greater potential for pleasure than what she had reached with her blonde haired friend, but she wished she didn't have to have this revelation while tied to the bed of a teammate she hardly knew and treated sex like some clinical remedy for poor teamwork. However, clinical or not, Sakura was starting to run out of reasons as to why this was such a bad idea. All he had done was touch her breasts and she felt she might be able to orgasm from that alone…if that was even possible.

'_Well if it is, he'd be the one to do it_,' Inner Sakura chimed in. '_Where the hell did he learn to use his mouth like this. Do they teach _that_ in ANBU too_?'

Outer Sakura decided that was something she'd rather not think about and didn't have time to anyway as her train of thought was disrupted by the feel of his teeth scraping lightly over the out curve of her breast near her arm.

"Sai," she whispered hoarsely as he returned his mouth to her breast, latching on to the nipple and sucking harder, raising goose bumps on her skin.

At the sound of his name he shifted his eyes back up to her, pleased with the way her cheeks were flushed and how she was starting to sweat a little bit. So far the methods he had learned were working quite well.

"Sai, please. We need to stop this."

She was still playing hard to get. Didn't women ever tire of this game?

"I-I can't do this with you. It's wrong."

'_That didn't stop you from screwing Naruto_,' her inner mind pointed out helpfully.

Sai let her nipple slip out from between his lips and shifted a little so his face could be closer to hers.

"There's nothing wrong with strengthening team bonds," Sai said seriously and it was obvious Sakura's argument was totally lost on him.

"But there's other ways to do it!" she protested, straining against her ropes in frustration.

"Like what?" Sai asked. Sakura wanted to punch him. Was this the first and _only _method he had considered trying?

"Well, we could spend more time together."

"We _are_ spending time together," Sai said as if both their concepts of "quality time" were the same.

"The _three_ of us I mean," Sakura clarified and Sai seemed to ponder something for a moment, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"If we could get Naruto to participate with us, I'm sure that would bring us even closer, however, I started with you because I thought you might be easier of the two to convince to have intercourse."

"No, that's not what I meant!" she cried in exasperation as he dipped his head to press his lips to the pulse point in her neck, forcing her to repress a shiver.

A threesome with team seven was a ridiculous thought. Assuming he could even convince Naruto to disrobe, Sai would then make a comment about the blonde's penis and Naruto would promptly vow to kill him. Sakura shook her head trying to clear the image. This was too much. This needed to stop.

"Sai, just untie me! We can figure out another way to solve our problem."

It appeared that the artist had no intention of doing so because he was trailing open mouthed kisses over her collar bone and down between her breasts, pausing only briefly to lick at her swollen nipples before scooting down her body and arriving at her navel.

"Just relax Sakura," he said with a false smile, borrowing a line used so many times in Kakashi's books, then adding, "Just let me bring you to climax."

'_Nice one Romeo_,' Inner Sakura scoffed, rolling her eyes. '_Where did you get those lines?_'

'Yeah, tell me about it.' Outer Sakura agreed in her head. However, what he lacked in words, he made up for in touch as he busied himself with letting his tongue draw circles around her belly button and slide along her ribs.

As a part of ROOT, the artist had been trained in the art of torture in case he ever needed to extract valuable information from a stubborn enemy. He knew what parts of the human body were the most sensitive and where he should focus to inflict as much pain as possible. Curiously enough, it seemed these very same points could also bring enormous amounts of pleasure when handled correctly. These so called erogenous zones didn't exist mainly on the female genitalia like he had previously thought before his research and he was intrigued by the way a gentle kiss just above her hip bone or a soft bite on her shoulder could make her tremble beneath him.

"Your body is very responsive Sakura," he noted as he kissed the skin where her belly gave way to the soft, pink material of her skirt. "I'm glad to know you are feeling pleasure."

The kunoichi's abdominals twitched beneath the soft caress of his lips. Yes, it felt good all right and that was the problem. She didn't want to be seduced by her weird, socially inept team mate. She could do little to break free and Inner Sakura was being absolutely no help and it seemed like things wouldn't be getting any easier for her because she could feel Sai's hands creeping to the buckles of her skirt.

"Wait a minute Sai!" Sakura panicked, trying to kick him off of her without success. "You can't take off my skirt!"

The artist paused long enough in his ministrations to give her another confused look. "But Sakura-chan, don't you have to be devoid of all clothing?"

"That's only if we were going to have sex!" Sakura cried, redoubling her efforts to struggle without any more success than previous tries.

"Oh, well I _do_ need to take it off then." He said with renewed confidence, his fingers making quick work of the straps before pulling the garment down her legs, leaving her clad only in her black shorts.

"Sai! Stop it, please!" Sakura cried. The removal of her shorts would leave her totally exposed and completely vulnerable to the dark haired man before her and for some reason, that scared her a little. The only person who had seen her like that was Naruto whom she trusted wholeheartedly. She wasn't nearly bold (nor drunk) enough to allow Sai to see her so intimately. However, even desperate pleas couldn't deter the shinobi as he hooked his fingers in the waistband of her shorts and began to pull them down her legs until she was left in nothing at all.

Instinctively, she drew her legs up in front of her in an attempt to hide her womanhood, blushing furiously as Sai's eyes roved her naked form. She shut her eyes tight and turned her head to the side so she wouldn't have to see him there but could still feel his presence envelope her, still feel his eyes on her.

"Please don't look at me," She whispered, utterly mortified and unable to even cross her arms over her bare breasts or any other part of her.

"Why not Sakura? I enjoy looking at you. Your appearance is pleasing," Sai stated.

He had never seen Sakura without clothes so he had never noticed how glorious her body really was. He had sketched her many times and paid close attention to the details of her figure but seeing her without clothes was like seeing a whole new person. As a kunoichi, she was in peak physical condition but still maintained soft curves in contrast to hard planes of muscle. The artist in him hoped that she would let him sketch a few pictures of her in the nude after they had consummated.

He closed a slender hand over each of her bent knees and forced her legs apart until both thighs touched the bed. She struggled against him, fighting to keep her knees tightly together but his position gave him leverage and he was able to win out over her inhuman strength.

"Sai, stop it!" the pink haired woman exclaimed, the flush on her cheeks spreading to cover her neck and chest. She was so embarrassed she thought she might die. She didn't want Sai looking at _that_ part of her. Even Naruto, despite his years of pining after her, had not gazed at her so intently, as if he meant to burn every detail of her appearance into his memory.

The intensity of his gaze was surprising. Sai was usually either blank faced or doing his best to fake emotions. Then again, the fact that he had knocked her out and tied her to his bed was quite surprising too.

The kunoichi's skin was warm and soft beneath his hands and he let his fingers trail from her knees up to her thighs so he could keep her legs spread wide. Sakura's breath was coming in short, harsh pants and her whole body had taken on a rosy glow, indicating to him that she was still rather aroused. He shifted his attention to the part of her body he had just forced her to reveal and was instantly intrigued by the plump lips of her sex that parted to reveal pinker, wetter folds of flesh within. He had never seen this particular part of a woman before and he thought that it looked somewhat like a flower, the fleshy petals glistening with moisture and quivering slightly under his gaze.

Sakura had let her eyes slip closed once more, trying to save herself some of the embarrassment of being stared at. Sai's touch had fanned the fires of desire in her but the panic she was feeling at being so exposed and powerless was taking the edge off of it. She was almost certain he would rape her now and even if it would feel good, it wasn't something she exactly wanted, and the worst part was the idiot would think he was doing her a favor.

However, Sai didn't move to align their hips like she thought they would. Instead, he lowered himself onto his stomach so his face was positioned directly in front of her throbbing opening, still staring at it with an almost appreciative look. Just what the heck was he planning on doing?

During his conversation with his masked team leader, Sai had learned that women seemed to greatly appreciate oral pleasure and there had been numerous cases in the books he had borrowed that supported this theory. Apparently gentle pressure applied with the tongue both inside and outside of a woman's vagina could be enough to make her orgasm and Sai was determined to try this for himself.

He focused on the area right beneath the fine patch of pink curled that crowned her opening, blowing air lightly over the wet surface to test its sensitivity. A soft whimper and a series of body shivers were enough to convince the shinobi that she was ready for his tongue.

"S-Sai, what are you doing?" Sakura murmured nervously, not liking at all how close his face was to…there. Didn't he know that it was dirty down there?

"Pleasuring you," Sai said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, lifting his head just long enough to give her a reply before leaning down to inhale her womanly aroma. The smell was spicy and unique but something he still found quite appealing. He imagined it was his body's own natural response to her pheromones that was making the feeling he had experienced before while suckling her breasts intensify. He could feel his penis growing hard within his pants in his own response to desire, a sensation he usually didn't feel except for first thing in the morning. However this was different, very different.

"But I don't _want _you to pleasure me! I want you to get the hell off me!"

Now Sai _knew_ she was lying. What woman didn't want a night of orgasmic pleasure?

He let his tongue run gently along her outer lips, touching her right where pink hair gave way to smooth, slippery flesh. Sakura immediately gasped and trembled in response but didn't cease her struggling.

Sakura couldn't believe he was going to use his mouth on her, especially _there_ She had heard of people doing such things but she figured only people like Kakashi who were huge perverts would actually lick somewhere so unsanitary. What if Sai was just as lecherous as her ex-sensei but had never showed it? And now he had her at his mercy! The thought only caused her blush to intensify.

"Sai! Don't touch me there! It's dirty!" she cried as she fought to keep her back from arching as he let his tongue pass over her again.

'_Dirty or not, it still feels amazing!'_ her inner self remarked, having no inhibitions at all about responding to his touches, arching and bucking and writhing within the confines of her outer counterpart's mind.

That may be true but that didn't make Sakura feel anymore comfortable with it. She wondered if she might just like it better if he got on to the actual sex and was done with it, but instead, it seemed he would drag this out and force her to undergo all kinds of perverse sexual acts.

If the kunoichi could have grabbed hold of his hair and pushed his head away, she would have done so in an instant but as it was she was powerless to do anything but squirm. She managed to bring one leg up and brace her foot against his shoulder trying to shove him away but he easily hooked the limb over it and let her foot rest on his back, removing any leverage she had and reducing her once again to helplessness.

The artist shifted his body so his weight could pin down the leg that wasn't slung over his shoulder and let his hands close in on her sex so his thumbs could spread her lips wide, revealing the wet flesh within as well as the ring of contracting muscles that surely led to her womb.

"Ah! Sai, don't," she cried, her body jerking as she felt cool air come in contact with her heated sex. The artist however was too intent on exploring this new, foreign world to pay her any mind.

Gently, he let the tip of is tongue dip inside of her, feeling feminine muscles contract sharply around the invading object. Her body's response was accompanied by a surprised gasp that quickly melded into moan when she exhaled. Her body was juicy, fleshy, like a wonderfully exotic fruit and the inexperienced ninja let his tongue draw lazy patters inside her tight hole.

It had to be a sin to feel this good. Sakura was sure of it. Nothing she had ever felt could even begin to compare to what she was feeling now. She had always assumed Sai was a virgin because frankly, the thought of him bedding anyone was a little creepy and she'd rather preferred not thinking about the subject all together. But now, here he was, making her feel so good that he must have _some_ knowledge of the female body. As much as her logical side was saying that what they were doing was totally wrong, part of her mind was beginning to agree with her body that she should just shut up and accept the pleasure he was giving her. After all, Sai wasn't exactly bad looking, at least when he wasn't smiling his cheesy, fake smile, and she could always look back and rationalize the situation by saying she had no choice in the matter. She would be forced to endure this situation regardless, so what was the harm in enjoying it at least a little?

She was expecting a witty retort from her inner protégé but it seemed she had already melted into a pile of satisfied goo under the ministrations of her artistic team mate.

'A lot of help _she_ was.' Sakura thought, not even having the will to muster any bitterness towards her second self as Sai's tongue swirled within her once again, causing her hips to arch right off the bed and another coo of pleasure to pass her lips.

The dark haired artist sped up the motion of his tongue, letting it glide along her inner walls and earning another soft moan from his captive. It seemed Sakura was enjoying what he was doing to her and finally allowing herself to relax a little bit. Perhaps she had tired of her game of "hard to get' or maybe her body was just that responsive to his touches. Either way, Sai was grateful his partner had stopped fighting him for the time being.

He withdrew his tongue from her slightly, only to slide it back in, savoring her flavor which was unlike any other. She was spicy and sweet, yet slightly musky and something else that was nearly metallic like when holding a kunai in one's mouth. Did all women taste this peculiar? He didn't find her essence unpleasant, just…odd and yet it was a taste he was more than willing to acquire, especially if it meant having his slender team mate arching her hips up in time with his thrusting tongue, riding the flexible muscle as he devoured her dripping sex fervently.

Sakura had given up on speech. Up until now he had ignored every word she had said anyway, or done the exact opposite in response to her requests. The only sounds she was making now were soft gasps and breathy moans. She was by no means over her embarrassment at having a man's mouth touching a place that was meant solely for childbirth and was hesitant about letting go completely. Even if her body was acting of its own accord, writhing and bucking beneath him, she tried to keep her moans to a minimum, allowing only murmurs and surprised gasps to escape her lips.

She let her eyes shift down her body to watch him busy himself between her legs. For once his eyes were closed as he concentrated on the task at hand, mercifully sparing her from another eroticized staring match that would no doubt have her blushing all over again. Good god, the sight of him burying his face in her most intimate spot was so dirty, so…wrong. But if that was the case, why did she keep staring like it was the most fascinating thing she had ever seen? He seemed content, almost pleased to be nestled between her parted thighs, sliding his tongue in and out of her as if substituting the pliant muscle for something much longer and thicker. If he really was enjoying licking her like that, then he really had to be a pervert on par with Kakashi or even Jiraiya. Either that or he was just plain insane, and that was an explanation Sakura found plausible as well.

However, a sharp thrust from his tongue made all other things irrelevant and the kunoichi couldn't help her eyes closing and her head falling back against the pillow as he continued swirling his tongue within her eagerly.

Despite all the pleasure singing through her sensitized body, Sakura managed to keep relatively quiet and this, of course, did not go unnoticed by the observant shinobi.

In all written scenarios Sai had studied, the woman was screaming her lover's name by now, thrashing and moaning until her release reduced her to a whimpering mass. These women were wild, feral, and while Sakura's responses were certainly encouraging, she seemed to still have some control of herself and was purposely holding back when she should be crying out in ecstasy.

Perhaps he was doing something wrong.

Sai continued to thrust his tongue into her tight hole, altering his pace and intensity, noting what made her pant harder and moan louder, but nothing drove her into the frenzy he desired. He withdrew completely to let the tip of his tongue draw light circles around her opening while he thought back on his sempai's advice. One particular phrase came to mind.

"_Use your instincts and your own originality and you'll probably have her coming back for more"_

Originality…perhaps _that_ was his problem. While what he was doing to Sakura may feel good, it was something she might expect if she had any experience in this sort of thing. Perhaps Naruto had already performed this task on her and executed it better than he, making his performance seem substandard. Kakashi said he would have to adapt to the situation just as he would in battle and he felt now was a time for such action. He would have to come up with something that would set him apart from her previous lover, something she would remember him by.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Naruto. Don't sue. K thanks.

It has come to my attention that many people were displeased with the fact that this story didn't have proper warning and I apologize about that. I have added a lemon warning to the chapter summary. It appears that I have been putting the author's notes on my versions but not the ones here that have additional warnings so I will try and fix that in the future.

There WILL be sex in this chapter and lots of it, although Sakura starts to change her tune and it's no longer so non conish. If this still bothers you, quit while you're ahead now.

All characters in this story are over 18. No kiddy sex here guys.

And one more thing. Lexy the Thief noted that this story resembles a hentai doujin called "Painting Sakura" Lexy, you win the grand prize because that doujin actually inspired this story, although I have embellished it quite a bit. I think I mentioned that in the author's notes on but like I said, those didn't make it into the version here. Thank you for your observation Lexy. You're well versed in the realm of hentai ;-)

I'll shut up now. Hot sex in 3…2…1…

Bonded

"_Use your instincts and your own originality and you'll probably have her coming back for more."_

Kakashi's words reverberated in Sai's skull as he pulled away from Sakura's body.

He only had to let his eyes glance to the side and take in his surroundings before he began to formulate a plan, his mind sharpened by intensive training that he had been subjected too since he was small.

He pulled away from her opening, noticing with satisfaction that she had grown wet enough to leak natural lubricant down the insides of her thighs. Sakura gave a small moan of frustration at his absence, secretly wishing that he would continue what he was doing because if he stopped now, she might just die. However, she was soon focused more on what he was doing rather than what he _wasn't_ as he sat up and reached for one of the many brushes sticking haphazardly out of a jar on the nightstand while wiping his mouth with the back of his free hand.

Sakura craned her neck to the side to watch the ex-ANBU's slender fingers wrap around a long handled paintbrush and pull it from the jar.

"What the hell are you planning to do with _that_?" she asked, trying to keep her desire and nervousness from making her voice tremble.

"I plan to be original and adaptive," Sai said, focusing on her body once more with paintbrush now in hand.

To Sakura's ears that made no sense, but then again, Sai never made sense unless he was talking about battle formations or team strategies. Everyday life was more than this social outcast could handle, including the realm of sex and all it entailed. Why the hell did he think he could just come in here and simplify something so complicated and…oh my, he was looking surprisingly…sexy.

Sai had repositioned himself to straddle her and had raised the brush to his lips, wetting the plentiful bristles with his tongue while staring at the kunoichi intently. The sight of his lithe pink tongue dragging over the fine brush hairs made Sakura's heart skip a beat. Now she was even more curious about his intentions, and a little more eager to find out.

Sai moved the dampened bristles over her left nipple and began to tease the taut bud with graceful swirls of the brush. Sakura couldn't help her sharp intake of breath as the soft fibers danced over her skin to produce sensations that were totally unlike those caused by his fingers or tongue. The soft touches were fleeting, tantalizing, and did little to satisfy the raging lust within her. Sakura unconsciously arched upwards, presenting pert breast as a flawless canvas for Sai to paint with invisible images of desire, squirming as the silky bristles moved in graceful arcs over her flushed skin.

"Sai," she whimpered in pleasured agony as the brush moved to circle her other nipple. The heat between her legs was throbbing, burning so hot that it was almost excruciating. As much as she had disliked being touched there a mere moment ago, she felt she would go insane if she didn't get attention there immediately.

It was apparent to the young artist that his change in tactics was already working. If he could coax her into vocalizing her passion more, he would almost certainly be able to bring her to the peak of pleasure.

He drew a line from her breasts to her navel and circled the indentation with a few sweeping strokes, enjoying the way she writhed in response. When he let the bristles of his brush mingle with curly pink hair, Sakura's bucking only became more desperate. It was clear she wanted further stimulation although she was still failing to vocalize it past a few incoherent whimpers. Perhaps now was the time to experiment with clitoral stimulation.

Finding the fabled part of female anatomy turned out to be easier than expected. The pink pearl above Sakura's opening was swollen, peeking out from the folds of flesh that usually covered it. Sai let his brush encircle the throbbing nub, testing its sensitivity but when Sakura let out a raspy moan louder than all the others, he knew he had found the key to her greatest pleasure.

Using a steady hand, the shinobi flicked the brush back and forth over the engorged flesh, immediately eliciting a whole new set of heated sounds from the previously uncooperative kunoichi.

Being a medic, Sakura knew that the female clitoris was rich in nerve endings, making it possible for a woman to feel intense pleasure if the tiny organ was handled correctly, but until now she had never experienced it first hand. As much as she hated to say it, it seemed Sai's performance was already putting Naruto to shame, although she had to cut the Kyuubi container some slack considering they had both been very drunk and had lost control of some of their finer motor functions…and hormones.

But this, this was amazing! Who knew that a simple thing like a paint brush could become such an unlikely sex toy? Sakura's cheeks reddened at the thought but her skin was already so pleasure-flushed that she doubted Sai would notice. However, the bristles were soft and pliant and their touches little more than whispers on her skin. She wanted more friction, more pressure against the tender little button, something more substantial to fill the aching void between her legs.

"Sai…please," she panted hoarsely without even knowing exactly what she was begging for. He seemed to know enough about how to please her that she could only hope he'd have some ideas on finishing the job. Her wrists continued to tug reflexively on her restraints even if she knew she would gain no freedom by it. Her body was moving on its own now, back arching and hips grinding in a search for release.

"Please what? Tell me what you want Sakura," Sai responded with an artful stroke over his captive's clit, determined to make her voice her needs out loud.

Sakura had never considered Sai's voice to be sexy, but right now, it sounded like melted chocolate for the ears, rich and dark and smooth and the mere sound made the inner muscles of her womanhood ripple rhythmically, searching for something solid to grip and pull deeper inside her body.

"Touch me harder. I want you to touch inside of me," she managed to pant out, meeting his gaze with hooded eyes.

The dark haired man wordlessly complied and drew a meandering path from the tight ball of nerve endings to her quivering opening, her plentiful juices saturating the brush's tip.

He let the bristles dip inside her and swirl around briefly before retreating and Sakura was sure he meant to drive her insane. The brush that had felt so soft against her skin now felt rough and scratchy against the sensitive walls of her sex and she found the ephemeral touches to be completely unsatisfying.

"More," she panted out, grinding her hips up against the phantom brush in frustration. He had built her desire to unimaginable levels but the sadist was doing little to alleviate the fire in her now. She knew it was impossible to die of sexual frustration but right now her body was telling her otherwise.

Sai found he enjoyed seeing his usually composed team mate so disheveled, all sweaty and needy, moaning for his touch. His cock twitched in his pants and he had a strong urge to pull them off and slip inside her right that very moment. However, he knew he must be patient. A man's orgasm was practically guaranteed but that of a woman's took more work and patience and he was determined to bring her to climax before even joining their bodies as one.

She was asking for more but he was hesitant to slip the brush inside her deeper without being able to gauge properly the distance between her opening and cervical wall. Hurting her or even causing her unnecessary discomfort was not part of his plan.

He removed the brush from her all together and let it slip from his fingers to roll off the bed and onto the floor. Using his newly freed hand while the other supported his weight, he let a digit slide over the pink pearl, feeling its slippery texture beneath his calloused fingertips.

His bound lover immediately moaned in pleasure as he let the pad of his finger rub little circles over the button, arching her hips against him to intensify the contact. Her eyes slid shut and her head turned to side as she lost herself in the sensations she had been craving.

The ink user varied his speed and watched in fascination at how she responded. Slowing down seemed to make her buck against him urgently while speeding up seemed to make her whole body tremble. But somehow, even now, her heady moans were few and far between.

Abandoning the pulsating bundle of nerves, he moved his finger to her opening. He could feel the heat radiating from her center like a furnace and teased her outer lips for only a moment before pushing his digit inside.

Sakura immediately shuddered. Her back arching as Sai's finger entered her welcoming body. She was so wet and incredibly hot and immediately the muscles along her passage gripped his finger tightly and began to flex in pulsating waves, as if they were living entities themselves that meant to draw him deeper inside. He could only imagine how it would feel to have his penis inside her instead, being milked and squeezed by feminine muscles. The books had explained in detail the ecstasy of being inside a woman but it still hadn't prepared him for how wondrous her body actually felt.

He began a slow, pumping rhythm, sliding his digit in and out of her and watching his finger emerge covered in clear, sticky fluids, only to insert it within her again. Sakura was clearly approving of his actions, mewling and whimpering as she writhed helplessly, her legs carelessly splayed wide to accommodate him.

Her tight sex gradually began to loosen as he stretched her and Sai wasted no time in filling her, slipping a second finger in to join with the first and feeling her tight walls flutter in a series of contractions.

While her response wasn't a moan, it was a high, keening cry that pleased the artist just as much. He noticed she was tugging at her bonds again but seemed to have no intention of getting away. He was glad he had decided on using rope made from a softer material instead of the rough stuff used for binding enemies. She would almost certainly have cuts and abrasions all over her wrists since she continued to pull at them mindlessly.

For the first time, Sai noticed that his own breath was coming in harsh pants. It seemed he was just as aroused as she was and all he had done was touch her body. He could only imagine the men in certain scenarios that had been seduced by an enemy woman and been helpless to stop her as they worked their hands and mouths all over masculine bodies. Sex indeed was a powerful weapon and he wondered if Konoha trained select kunoichi in how to use it as such. If so, he was fairly certain Sakura was not one of them, judging by the way she responded so readily to every new touch.

He pushed his fingers a little deeper now and noted she had bit down on her bottom lip, trapping most of the pleasured sounds she made in the back of her throat. The artist's forehead creased in a frown. Was she refraining from making noise on purpose? It wasn't like they were in a mission situation where silence was the difference between life and death, so why the effort to remain quiet?

Sai wasn't about to ponder another one of the mysteries about women. There were already too many to count. Instead he repositioned his body so his mouth once again hovered over her open sex. He continued to pump twin digits within her but now he was going to add his tongue back into the mix, a combination that seldom failed to bring women to completion, at least in his research.

As soon as his tongue began lapping at her fleshy pink pearl, Sakura knew she was in for a hell of a ride. The sensation of tightness in her abdomen instantly tripled until Sakura felt she might collapse in upon herself. The feeling of his thrusting fingers and agile tongue had her head spinning and it was all she could do to keep breathing. How could Sai, weird, clueless, awkward Sai make her feel this way? She cracked an eye open to see the man in question lapping at her and immediately felt her vaginal muscles clench. Even as her world was in utter turmoil, his expression remained peaceful as he licked her gently and when he drew her clit into his mouth and began to suck it softly, Sakura was sure she would blow apart.

"Sai," she whispered breathlessly, having a hard time forcing air into her lungs to even say his name.

At the sound of her voice, his eyes opened to reveal twin pools of black that instantly captivated her as he peered at her over the curve of her hip, his mouth still latched on to her clit and suckling like a hungry infant, his fingers still rhythmically pumping inside of her.

It was too much to handle. The tightness in her stomach suddenly exploded outwards and Sakura was plunged into a world of utter bliss as her orgasm overcame her. Colors danced across her vision as every nerve ending radiated pleasure. She was no longer tied to the bed but soaring high and it seemed nothing would bring her back down.

Sai watched Sakura's face contort in pleasure before she threw her head back and parted her lips in a soundless scream. Her entire body went rigid before shuddering almost violently as she came. He could feel the muscles around his fingers tighten almost painfully around him before they quivered spastically and he knew he had finally reached his goal, sucking the bud between his lips even harder to prolong the pleasure she must be feeling. However, he couldn't stifle the pang of confusion and slight disappointment at the fact that his name had come out as a whisper instead of a scream. Did this mean her orgasm wasn't as good as the ones he had researched or was Sakura an odd case who didn't cry out during sex? Either way, Sai decided he couldn't feel disappointed when his team mate was beneath him, lost to the world as pleasure coursed though her. She actually looked quite…beautiful.

Sitting up from between her legs, the dark haired man finally began to strip off his pants. His body was on fire for her and now that she had climaxed, there was no need to hold back anymore. As he tossed the unnecessary garment aside, he marveled at how powerful a thing sex really was. His desire for her made him want to rush ahead, to be reckless, something he had never been during his entire life as a shinobi. He wanted to plow into her, to take her like a wild animal and it was only by sheer willpower and countless previous exercises in cultivating patience that he managed to refrain.

Gradually, Sakura became aware of her surroundings as her orgasmic high subsided. Her limbs felt heavy and useless and even if her arms had been untied, she doubted she could have summoned the strength to do much at the moment. Was this what a real orgasm was supposed to feel like? She certainly hadn't achieved it with Naruto. Their coupling had been enjoyable but he hadn't made her feel like this, like she would die if the pleasure intensified just a little more, like her whole body was burning, was being consumed piece by piece.

She let her eyes flutter open to find Sai in front of her wearing appreciative look…and nothing else.

That was enough to snap her out of her dreamy afterglow as she watched him wrap a hand around his length, now jutting forth proudly without being restrained by his pants.

Sakura had to fight to swallow the lump in her throat. Good god, he was _huge_! Well, ok, maybe not _that_ big but from her position, his manhood certainly looked intimidating. She was sure Naruto hadn't been that big and the second the thought formed, she felt a little guilty. She was constantly comparing the two and she needed to stop, but she couldn't help it. Her blonde haired friend had been her only sexual partner up until now and she really didn't know what to expect from the man before her. She certainly hadn't expected something like _that_!

"Sai, wait," she said in the firmest voice she could muster which apparently wasn't very firm at all because he hardly slowed at all as he positioned himself between her spread thighs.

"We shouldn't do this. There are all sorts of consequences that could—ahhh!"

The kunoichi didn't think it was possible to feel lust again so soon but as Sai's hot sex bumped against her own, she felt desire wash over her in waves, eroding her panic and doubt away.

"You are very attractive when you climax," Sai said in a voice akin to a growl. "I want to see you like that again."

Not even his odd choice of words could quell the heat that flooded the pit of her stomach. His dark eyes were aflame and she knew that desire was burning as hot in him as it was in her own body.

His lithe, wiry frame was before her now, finally devoid of clothing that had hindered her view of him. While his odd, midriff shirt had left his abs exposed, she found that seeing him now in nothing at all changed her view of him completely. He was no longer just a team mate, a weirdo, but a man, an incredibly attractive man.

Strong, long fingered hands slid up the back of each of her thighs and held her open as he advanced. She could feel the heat radiate off his member before it even touched her and the feeling made her inner walls quiver in anticipation.

When his cock finally brushed her nether lips, she couldn't help but gasp. She could feel him pulsating against her skin and knew there was no going back after this…not that those thoughts mattered. There was nothing she could do to stop this anyway; assuming she even wanted to stop it and Sakura couldn't even be sure about _that_ anymore.

Sai hissed through clenched teeth as his throbbing manhood made contact with her flesh. His erection was so hard that it hurt and he could hardly wait to alleviate his suffering.

Looking down, he watched the head of his cock press against slick parted lips. This was it. They would join their bodies together to form a bond as they shared an experience that could never be taken away.

Dark eyes met jade and Sakura bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. The fingers gripping her thighs tightened and slowly, deliberately, Sai pushed his hips forward.

Sakura couldn't hold in a throaty moan as she felt her pussy stretch to accommodate the length within her. He was so thick, so hot. She could feel his flesh pulsating inside of her and her body responded accordingly, her hips arching upwards to aid him in seating himself fully within her.

The second her body parted for him and took him in, Sai felt as if the air had been driven from his lungs. She had been tight around his fingers but around his cock she was a vice, a smoldering, silky, slick vice that was seeking to draw him ever deeper into a place that was surely a gateway to paradise.

The sensation of entering her felt like an eternity as his shaft sunk inside her inch by painful inch and yet, it was over much too soon as his base pressed against her outer lips and he could go no further. He wanted to pull back so he could drive forward once more to experience entering her all over again but at the moment, it was all he could to still his hips momentarily and feel her vaginal muscles clenching and flexing around him.

He was still focused on those emerald orbs, their lucid depths now clouded with desire and he found that he couldn't look away. He was falling into them, into _her_, and the sensation was nothing like what he had researched at all. He wondering briefly if he had made a terrible miscalculation and was in way over his head but now that he had come this far, there was no way to back out anyway.

"Sakura," he breathed, her name coming out in tones of reverence. "You feel so…so…"

Sai found he had no word in his vocabulary to describe the feeling of her around him.

"So do you," She answered in a hoarse whisper, the faintest hint of a smile gracing her lips. Never looking away from the bottomless black depths of his eyes, she panted out two breathless words.

"Move. Please."

Still gazing at her raptly, he drew his hips back slowly and pushed forward again, keeping his movements gentle as she moaned beneath him.

She was louder this time and her cries of passion seemed to come from somewhere deeper inside her, from her very being, and when her eyes slid closed in ecstasy, he was released from their hypnotic spell and was able to take in her entire body as he continued to ease in and out of her slick, tight passage.

Her jaw went slack as he pumped forward into her, her soft breasts bouncing slightly with every thrust. Her entire body glistened in a thin sheen of sweat and he could feel droplets forming on his own back and chest as his muscles flexed with his movements.

He let his eyes drift down to where he was holding her legs wide apart and watched in fascination as his cock slid in and out of hot, pink flesh, the glistening petals of her sex spread wide like a flower in full bloom as he increased his speed slightly.

He hadn't been ready for this, for what it really felt like to be with a woman. The books had described passion and heat, the screaming of a lover's name and the raw urgency of reaching climax, but the book had failed to inform him of the indescribable beauty of a woman orgasming at his touch, of the way you could suck air hungrily into your lungs and still feel like you were drowning, of being so wrapped up in her sweat and hair and skin that you couldn't help but let your guard down completely and focus only on her.

He hadn't planned on this, on being so drawn to her, but now that he was here beside her, _inside_ her, he found he wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

He released his grip on her thighs and leaned forward so he could brace his hands on the bed on either side of her head and she wrapped her legs around him in an attempt to bring then closer. Their faces were closer now and he could feel her breath fan over his cheek. Her eyes were still closed in serene pleasure and her rosy lips were parted as moans and whimpers tumbled forth. Without thinking, he dipped his head and pressed his lips to her own, taking his chances even after her fierce bite earlier. However, this time, he was rewarded with a gentle touch of her tongue against his lips as she returned the kiss.

Growing bolder, he slid his tongue along her upper teeth and into her mouth where it twined with hers and immediately a whole new realm of sensations flooded his senses, making him kiss her harder as passion overwhelmed him.

A hand came up to fist in silky pink strands, holding her still as his tongue tangled with hers. His body sought to join with hers in everyway possible, to melt into her completely. She pulled his tongue in her mouth and began to suck on it gently as her hips moved to meet his thrust for thrust. When they finally broke apart, his breath was coming in harsh, rapid pants and he felt as if he were on the edge of something cataclysmic, like he was about to fall into a place in which there would be no return.

Her sweet taste still lingered on the artist's tongue and he trailed kisses down the column of her neck, licking up the saltiness there in his quest to satiate his hunger for her flavor.

The rosy haired kunoichi would normally have been embarrassed by the sounds she was making, the wanton groans and mewls that she couldn't seem to retain fell from her lips. However, she normally wouldn't expect to find herself tangled up in Sai's bed either. The dark haired man had done something to her to make her forget herself and she had surrendered to him and the pleasure he had to offer.

His wandering tongue left her neck and trailed over her collarbone to once again find the swell of one of her breasts. Both hands slipped into her hair, cradling her head as his mouth latched on to an erect nipple and began to suck hungrily, all the while never ceasing the constant mind blowing rhythm of his hips.

Slits of jade appeared beneath rosy lashes as she watched him suckle at her. She longed to bury her hands in his thick dark hair and hold him to her but she remained bound and formulating words to request to be set free seemed like an impossible task to her currently lust fogged mind.

Her head turned side to side helplessly as she felt the coil in her stomach tighten once more. She didn't think she was one of those women who could orgasm more than once during sex but it seemed Sai was about to prove her wrong.

The dark haired shinobi felt something inside him threaten to break free and he wasn't sure whether he should resist it or embrace it. He assumed it must be his own impending orgasm but this too was nothing like what the books had described. It felt like chaos would ensue if he gave in, wonderful, pleasurable, breath taking chaos, but as a shinobi, his entire will rebelled against the idea. His body however, seemed intent on reaching completion.

He let Sakura's now swollen nipple pop free on his mouth and buried his face in the crook where her neck met her shoulder. The scent of feminine sweat and floral shampoo assaulted his senses and he knew he could hold back no longer.

"Sakura!" he moaned, his cry coming out shaky and broken as he pumped into her once, twice and then felt a series of pulsating contractions that stole his breath away as his body flooded hers with his seed.

He couldn't hear. He couldn't see. All he could do was feel as white hot pleasure tore through him almost violently and he bit down on Sakura's shoulder in attempts to cope with the intensity.

Sakura was so close. She could feel her muscles begin to contract tighter around his pistoning length as her body prepared for release. Her vision was tunneling, her body was tensing, and right when she was at the brink of the precipice, she felt a gush of hot liquid inside her and Sai collapse on top of her in a tangle of limbs.

'_Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me!_'

She tried to grind her hips up against him in a desperate attempt to reach completion but she could already feel him softening inside her, making her efforts useless.

Was he really going to leave her high and dry? If he fell asleep on top of her while she was still incredibly horny and tied to the bed, god help her she _would_ make him useless to every other female for the rest of his life.

"Sai," she panted, her breathing and heart rate still way above normal. "Untie me."

The dark haired artist heard her murmur something against his ear and it took a moment for his brain to assemble the words and decipher their meaning.

As he lay panting on top of the kunoichi's smaller form, Sai felt like he was moving in slow motion, unable to keep up with the world around him and it was all he could do to dispel the chakra running through the ropes with a flick of his wrists so she could break them on her own. Getting up and untying her himself seemed like an impossible task at the moment.

The second she felt the tingling in her wrists disperse, Sakura jerked on the ropes and snapped them with one sharp tug. Although she was sweaty and tired, her desire to reach completion filled her with an energy she hadn't thought she could muster and easily rolled the exhausted shinobi over so he was on his back looking up at her as she straddled him.

"You know, it's not very nice to bring a girl to the brink and then leave her behind."

Sai blinked at her owlishly, clearly confused by her words before answering, "But you already had an orgasm Sakura. Doesn't that make us even?"

Clearly he understood nothing about women, but then again, that was no surprise.

"Sai, a woman's body works a little differently than a man's," she said, trying not to let her lust or frustration take over. "I was about to have a second one but you left me hanging and I'm not going to let you get away with it."

Well that was easy enough to say, but obviously he was going to need a little stimulation to make her plan a reality because his flaccid length was of no use to her at the moment, but maybe…if she could touch him…

Sakura reached between their sweat slicked bodies and took Sai's length almost gingerly in one hand. She had never done anything like this before but her best friend Ino had told her more than enough stories to give her an idea of what to do. The blonde woman had blabbed, usually in graphic detail, about using her hands and mouth on guys in and just hearing about it had tinted Sakura's cheeks red. She had no intention of using her mouth on the dark haired shinobi, especially since he had just been inside of her, but she saw no harm in using her hands if it meant reaching her own goal of satisfaction.

Sai gasped softly as he felt the kunoichi's fingers wrap around the base of his cock and slowly begin to pump up and down. Her movements were aided by the slippery liquid coating his length that was left over from their initial love making and though he wouldn't have believed it to be possible, he felt blood begin to rush to his loins and awaken his member once more.

Sakura bit her lip as she stared down at her lover, his dark eyes hooded as he moaned her name. She kept her hand pumping steadily and could feel it begin to pulse against her fingers as it grew rigid in her grip. Well, at least all of Ino's stories were good for something.

"You've had you fun Sai," she whispered huskily as she removed her hand and positioned her hips over his length. "This time, we're going to do it my way."

Sakura was still a novice at best when it came to sex and she in fact wasn't even sure what her way was but she was pretty sure Sai didn't know that. He didn't seem to care either as she lowered herself onto him and felt his cock fill her once more.

The sex had been good before but in this position, he could reach even deeper inside of her and Sakura's head fell back as she felt him bump against her cervical wall. Her hands fell to his chest and dug into firm pectorals at the same time his came up to cup her ass, urging her hips to ride him faster as he groaned under the amazing sensations assaulting his senses.

Her face was the perfect quintessence of utter rapture, much like he had seen illustrated in Kakashi's books. This is what he had been seeking; this strange and wonderful feeling of being so close to a person you felt like you could never be apart again. She was all around him, within him and he couldn't find the words to describe the emotions he was feeling, for after feeling so little for s long, experiencing such overwhelming passion had turned his world upside down.

He could feel a tightening sensation in his testicles as he watched her body undulate on top of him. Was he really about to climax again so soon?

"Sakura," he groaned as his fingers gripped her ass harder. "I'm getting close. I think I'm about to…"

"You'd better not," Sakura growled, leaning down to press her lips to his almost savagely, flattening her chest against his without breaking the rhythm of her hips. She had already been tortured and teased enough and there was no way she was going to let him deny her release again.

Slipping her hands under his shoulder blades, she pulled him up against her so that he was sitting and she was in his lap, their pelvises still joined and grinding against each other heatedly. The kunoichi could feel his member shift inside her and moaned against the artist's ear as her arms came up to loop around his neck while she managed to cross her ankles behind his back. She was completely entwined around him and Sai found he could think of nothing else. His hands were still cupping the soft flesh of her cheeks and he began to lift her up and down on his shaft while thrusting up into her burning sex.

Sakura threw back her head and moaned as she felt him push into her tight passage even deeper; hardly aware of her own actions so caught up was she in the arms of her team mate. Gone were the uncertainty and fear, the reluctance and refusal. All she wanted now was for him to keep doing what he was doing, pushing her ever closer to that ledge where bliss and euphoria waited in the abyss below. When she had climbed out of bed this morning, she never would have dreamed that she would be in for the best sex of her young life and with Sai no less, but here she was, moaning his name and clinging to him as if her life depended on it.

Her core was burning hot, molten and liquid and ready to blow at any moment and she embraced the sensation eagerly.

She forced herself to focus on the face of the man making her feel so amazing and pressed her lips to his once more, their tongues twining hungrily as his hands forced her hips down onto his shaft hard, making her nerve endings burn even hotter.

Once…twice…three times he pumped up into her with mind blowing force and Sakura could take no more. She ripped her mouth away from his and sobbed his name into the night as everything within her shattered into shards of burning pleasure.

Sai could feel her spasming on his length and almost immediately following suit, letting his body release at last and filling her up with his seed as he fell backwards onto the pillows, taking the pink haired woman with him.

For a moment, he just held her to him, feeling his heartbeat and breath slowly decelerate as his body relaxed into the sheets, sweaty and drained and utterly satisfied. He had never had much physical contact in his life outside of the beatings he dealt out and received in training but he found that this tender embrace was quite enjoyable. He felt safe and warm wrapped up in her and wondered if that too was part of forming a closer bond.

"You know, you're a total idiot," Sakura murmured after a while, nestled against the artist's defined chest. "Any other woman would have stuck a kunai in your heart the moment you untied them. For the record, that is _not_ how you should go about seducing a woman."

"Really?" Sai said, running his hands through strawberry locks absently. "It always seemed to work in sempai's books. The women always seemed to enjoy themselves just like you did now."

Books? Sempai? Sakura's brain was hazy in the warmth of the afterglow. Surely he didn't mean…

"Uh, what books?" the kunoichi asked, almost afraid to hear the answer as she tilted her head to look at him, her cheek still resting against his chest.

"Icha Icha," Sai replied calmly. "Kakashi sempai let me borrow several volumes. They are excellent research material for ways in which a man can bond with a woman."

Sakura made a mental note to see to it her sensei's death was slow and painful. How could he have lent erotica to a man that was already clueless when it came to sex without explaining that the world didn't work that way?

'_This is why you can't give virgins porn!_' inner Sakura ranted, shaking an invisible fist and the outer half was inclined to agree. However, it had resulted in the most amazing sex she had ever had. Perhaps she would let Kakashi live this once, but if he had giving tips to the confused artist knowing full well that she was his target, he had better be prepared to run very, very fast.

"Sai, promise me you'll never knock out another woman and tie her up again," Sakura sighed, too tired and satisfied to get into the details of his errors at the moment. Already her eyelids were growing heavy and the warm of his arms around her was so comforting.

"I have no need," Sai whispered softly, rolling them both over onto their sides without releasing her. "I already have the one I wanted."

Sakura made a soft noise of agreement, although she was no longer coherent enough to really know what he was talking about. Within moments she had slipped into a blissful slumber, unaware that Sai was still watching her with fascination. If she had been awake, she might have witnessed the smile gracing his lips that, unlike his others, was neither forced nor fake but in fact, very real.

As he watched her tranquil face, he murmured, "I feel like we have finally grown closer Sakura. Do you feel the same?"


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again. I don't have much to say for this chapter so I'll be short. Thanks everyone for all the reviews. You guys rock!

This story is rated M! Readers be advised.

I don't own Naruto.

Bonded

The room was completely silent except for the sound of Sakura's steady breathing and the scratch of charcoal against paper.

After their passionate love making, both shinobi had fallen asleep, but Sai woke only a couple of hours later feeling refreshed and alert. There were still several hours before sunrise but the artist wasn't about to spent them sleeping. He wanted to capture the beauty of his team mate on paper before she too awoke.

She hadn't even stirred as he had slipped out of bed and Sai guessed he must have really tired her out for a kunoichi of her caliber to remain oblivious to her surroundings. She continued to slumber as he went around the room, picking up candles off his cluttered counter tops and trimming the wicks so they would burn steadily instead of the flames jumping erratically and giving off light that would make it difficult to draw. When the candles weren't enough, he pulled up a small lamp and focused the soft light on her as well, making small adjustments until he was satisfied.

Even when he drew up a chair near the bed and placed a large sketchpad in his lap, she didn't move, becoming a model for Sai's art even as she slept on. Since the air in the room was warm, he had left her uncovered by the sheets, exposing the full expanse of her supple body as she lay curled on her side facing him, her. The candle light softened all her lines and curves further served only to enhance her natural beauty and Sai felt compelled to draw in a way he hadn't felt in some time.

He started by drawing pieces of her, wanting to perfect each feature before putting them all together. Several pages were filled with sketches of her hand that lay curled next to her face, her slightly parted lips, her feet and toes and even her nose. He drew them all in exquisite detail, pausing every now and then to blend the charcoal with his finger. To him, she was beautiful and serene, a perfect physical representation of the female species, but even as he drew the soft curve of her exposed breast, his thoughts remained pure. He only wanted to capture her beauty on paper, nothing more.

When he was satisfied with his prior sketches, he at last began to draw her head to toe, paying attention to the way her pink locks were splayed over his pillow and how her legs were tangled in the sheets.

With a final stroke of his charcoal stick, the artist blew away the sooty dust to reveal his completed picture just as Sakura's eyes fluttered open.

The kunoichi's eyes immediately settled on the man in the chair next to her and she gave him a small smile as she remembered what had transpired earlier. But then again, how could she possibly forget? Her body still tingled slightly from his touches.

"Hey," she whispered softly as she noted all the candles strewn about her. "Why are you still awake?"

"I slept for a little while." Sai answered honestly. "I guess after all the ANBU missions I've been on, my body can get by with only a few hours."

"I envy you." Sakura sighed, thinking of all the times she had been sleep deprived while on other various missions and how her body never seemed to get used to it even after all this time.

She tucked her feet in towards her and pushed herself up with one hand while she draped the other over her bare breasts in a momentary lapse on modesty even if he had already seen every inch of her close up. She has about to pull the sheet over her nude torso when Sai stopped her.

"Don't move Sakura." He breathed and the kunoichi froze. She tried to turn her face towards him but he reached out and turned her back the way she was so that her face angled away and she could only see him out of her peripheral vision.

"Sai, what is it?" she asked in confusion, trying to see what he was doing out of the corner of her eye.

"That pose..." he murmured thoughtfully before reaching over to brush a stray strand of hair to a place her preferred. "I want to draw it."

Sakura wasn't quite sure what to make of his statement. She had seen him draw all sorts of things and knew he was very talented. Anything he drew would be beautiful, including a sketch of her…but she was naked and in his bed and any picture he drew would be documented evidence of her stay here.

"Sai, I'm not sure if that's such a good—." She began but was silenced by a warm hand on her back, turning her shoulders slightly to a position he favored.

It will be fine." He said softly. "All you have to do is stay still."

At his words, Sakura relented and let her eyes focus on a cluttered table in her line of vision as she heard Sai sit back down in his chair and the rustle of paper as he prepared a fresh page on his large sketch pad.

The room was once again silent save for the sound of his charcoal pencil against the paper and the puff of his breath blowing away the residual dust every now and then. She could hear the pauses in the scratching of his pencil and knew he must be looking at her, studying her carefully and it sent a sort of thrill through her. She was naked and vulnerable, unable to even look at him yet he could gaze at her nude form freely as he drew. She didn't know why she sat there and let him look at her, especially when she had been so embarrassed before, but she did. She only wished she could look at what he was drawing.

After a period of time that seemed much too short, Sai announced that he was finished. Sakura dropped her arm from her breasts and turned to look but Sai was already positioning her in a new pose.

"I want to try something else." He explained when he saw the confusion in her eyes.

The pink haired woman found herself sitting with her knees drawn to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Her body was in profile from Sai's perspective but he coaxed her into lowering her cheek to her bent knees and turned her face to she was looking at him.

"Stay just like that." He ordered, arranging her hair so it fell the way he wanted it to before sitting back down.

Now that Sakura could see, she found that there were in fact dozens of sketches, all of her, scattered around Sai's feet. One was the one he had just drawn and she nearly gasped at the likeness. Even a photograph couldn't have better resembled her, but what was even more surprising was all the others he had drawn while she was still asleep. Detailed sketches of her fingers, closed eyes and even her breast littered the floor. He had captured every part of her on paper in a way she hadn't imagined possible. Why had he gone to all that trouble? Did she really inspire him that much?

She let her eyes drift from his feet to his body and discovered that he was shirtless. She couldn't tell if he had slipped on a pair of boxers or not since the sketch pad was over his lap but she guess that he was probably completely naked as well.

When she let her eyes drift higher she could herself looking into deep obsidian orbs as he studies her carefully before looking back down at his paper. From her position she could watch the picture emerge this time. The black lines that appeared on the paper with every smooth, confident stroke of his wrist soon took form and she recognized her own image begin to take shape as he filled in detail by detail. It was almost like magic the way she saw herself materialize on the page and Sakura realized she was actually enjoying being a model for him.

When the sketch was finished, he tore it from his sketchpad and it joined the others on the floor but as soon as he moved towards her, she knew he was not yet done with her. This time she was pushed back against the bed, arms tossed overhead in a seemingly careless pose while her hips her twisted slightly so her knee could angle inwards and hide the apex of her thighs.

Now that Sai was standing, Sakura could tell that he was indeed naked and having him hover over her on a bed while she was in a similar state was doing funny things to her heartbeat. Did she…want him? Well, she supposed that wasn't surprising considering he had just recently engaged in absolutely amazing sex with her, even if it was slightly forced. But judging by the way Sai was arranging her on the sheets methodically, he was only interested in sketching her, not seducing her.

Satisfied with her new position, Sai grabbed his sketchbook and sat cross legged on the foot of the bed for a different perspective. The way her arms her were raised above her head reminded the kunoichi of when she had been tied down not so long ago, helpless and utterly mortified as he had explored her nude form with inexperienced hands. She marveled at how he had somehow managed to convince her to let him look at her body willingly. A day ago she never would have considered allowing him to draw her like this but their relationship had been so violently altered that she wasn't sure of her boundaries with him anymore. What exactly did she _want _them to be? Sakura didn't know the answer to that question either.

This new pose left her breasts in full view and she knew they would appear in his drawing. If anyone else ever saw this picture they would see her in all her glory just as she appeared now before her team mate's eyes and she figured she would have to threaten him into keeping them a secret as soon as he was done. She watched him watching her, looking at her expanse of sooth skin and felt the familiar heat creep into her cheeks. Her first impulse was to cover herself but she knew he wouldn't allow it so she remained still, blushing furiously under his scrutiny as he set about capturing her image with paper and charcoal.

The charcoal pencil in Sai's hand seemed to move with a life of its own, moving quickly to trail masterful strokes over the clean white paper. The artist noticed his subject's cheeks had turned a little pinker. Even with the soft lighting he perceived every detail about his model and he wondered why her face had taken on the rosy flush. Was she still embarrassed or was this another one of the woman's odd head games? If it was the former, she had no reason to be since she had nothing to be ashamed of and if it was the latter, then he couldn't eve begin to guess the reason for her actions.

However, as he gazed upon her, looking into lucid green eyes so he could capture all the emotions lying within, he couldn't help but feel a connection with her. Perhaps she was blushing because she was exposed, and not merely in the physical sense. Their coupling had been so intimate, so much more than he had imagined and she had been forced to open herself up to him, both in mind and body in a way he hadn't thought possible. Even if she had been reluctant to do it or was merely pretending she didn't want him, it had been necessary for the good of the team. Now, as he drew her naked form, he felt a little of that same sort of feeling. Is this what Sakura had meant when she had said there were other ways to form a bond besides the physical union of their bodies? An artist always established a sort of relationship with their subjects. Even when he had sketched her while she was unaware, he still felt a sort of gravitation, at least until his picture was finished. But this was unlike anything experienced before. He was wholly captivated by her. All her bad temperament and violent tendencies and endless shrieking didn't matter because here in this moment, she was absolutely beautiful.

Sakura could feel his gaze on her and it practically burned her skin with its intensity. Is this what having sex with a person did to you? She guessed it was more than that because after her night with Naruto, things had gone back to normal between them. But that could have something to do with the fact that he hadn't seen her naked since then, hadn't looked at her vulnerable form with such…appraisal? Appreciation? Sakura couldn't be sure what burned in those mysterious depths. All she knew is that things between them would probably never go back to normal.

With a final smudge of his thumb, Sai finished the sketch and set down his pencil, yet he continued to look at Sakura intently and the kunoichi could almost see the wheels turning in his head. What was he planning now?

"Sai, what is it?" she asked, her voice coming out in a whisper as she slowly brought her arms from above her head and crossed the over her breasts.

The artist wordlessly leaned over to straddle her and grasped her wrists to gently pull her arms away until she was exposed once more, his eyes roving from her navel to her breast to settle on her face. Sakura could feel a part of him that had so recently been inside her brush her thigh, only now it was soft and flaccid. That didn't stop a blush from blooming in her cheeks or a flare of heat deep inside her belly.

His dark eyes were boring into hers and Sakura felt that she was falling. They were so deep, an endless abyss of onyx, and although they had so much emotion when he had been wedged tightly inside her, she couldn't read anything in them now. He just studied her, gazed intently into her eyes. What was it he was searching for?

At last, his voice came out in a deep murmur.

"I want to paint you."

Images of lying naked in a tangle of sheets while he leisurely painted her image onto a canvas filled her mind. Paintings took longer than sketches…a _lot_ longer. Was she willing to make the commitment to come here day after day and disrobe for him? Allow him to gaze at her until she felt he was seeing through her skin, through muscle and bone into her very soul? Well, if Sai wanted to forge a bond she supposed that was one way to do it, but was she really ready to let herself be vulnerable all over again for him?

"But you just did all those sketches of me." Sakura breathed, acutely aware of his thighs against hers. "Isn't that—"

"Sakura, I don't want to paint you. I want to paint _you_."

The pink haired woman opened her mouth to say she didn't understand but Sai silenced her with a finger to her lips.

"I want to paint your skin." Sai clarified, letting his thumb trace down her neck and collarbone, over one full breast and down to rub small circles around her bellybutton. "I want your body to be my canvas."

The voice that usually grated on her nerves was now husky and low, almost…sensuous? She found herself wanted to please him by allowing him to do as he wished but painting her body would take a while. She had responsibilities to attend to. Even with a day off at the hospital, she still had to report to Tsunade sometime during the day. With her thoughts, she unconsciously turned her face to the side, searching for a clock that wasn't there.

As if reading her thoughts, Sai cupped her chin and turned her back to him.

"Give me until sunrise." He whispered. "It will be completed by then."

She should really agree to this. It was so much so fast. They had gone from being mere team mates to lovers to…whatever this was. She needed some space. She needed to figure this out.

"Ok." She agreed, her mouth responding before her brain could interfere.

To her surprise, Sai's features spread into a smile, his eyes squinting shut like they always did, but this time, it didn't look so forced. It looked almost genuine.

"What do I need to do?" she asked shyly. Was there some preparatory substance that she would have to apply to her skin? That _he_ would have to apply? The thought of his hands all over her body made the faint heat in her stomach pulse hotter.

"You don't have to do anything." Sai said, gazing into jade orbs once more. Sakura feel his face had moved even closer to hers and for one breathless moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. What was even more surprising was the fact that she found she _wanted_ him to.

Then all of a sudden, his weight was lifting off of her and he was gone, walking into the room behind the bed that she had previously guessed to be the bathroom. The kunoichi let out the breath she had been holding in one long puff. What the hell was happening to her? It was more than obvious Sai had succeeded in strengthening _something_ between them, although now she wondered if it had gone too far. She also had a feeling things were going to get a lot more complicated by the time the sun finally came up and her body would be covered in, no, would _be_ another of Sai's works of art.

She heard water running in the bathroom and a few minutes later Sai emerged with a fistful of paintbrushes, all varying in size and a large jar full of water. Jade eyes followed him as he crossed the room to a nearby table and moved the contents covering its surface to the floor before spreading out his brushes on a clean cloth. He picked up his previous sketches from the floor and stacked them neatly before adding them to the clutter on his nightstand.

Sakura felt nervous, almost jittery as proverbial butterflies danced in her stomach. Why was this such a big deal? He was merely going to paint her. She would then wash it off, and it would be over and done with right?

As much as she wanted to believe that, a nagging voice inside her head told her that Sai certainly didn't ask this of just anyone. There was something special between them now, something deeper than a simple bout of sex. She wanted to be angry at him for forcing himself on her and making her like everything he did, every touch, every kiss, because now she just didn't know how she felt about him at all anymore. Yet, her anger seemed to deflate every time she looked at him because in some ways, he was just as innocent as a child. His intentions were good and he wanted the best for his team, and she could see that he too was slightly taken aback by what was forming between them. Yet he continued his effort in forging their bind, maybe even without realizing he was doing so. If he was afraid of what was transpiring, he didn't show it. In fact, he probably welcomed this new sea of emotions considering ROOT had conditioned the feeling out of him long ago. She couldn't imagine how alien this must be for him, how wonderfully strange it was to be swept up like this, or maybe he was still as calm as ever, examining these new sensations objectively from the outside. They may have grown closer, but she still couldn't read him any better than before.

With his brushes prepared, the artist crossed the room to rummage in a large cardboard box, the whole time seemingly oblivious to his own nudity. He acted like he was perfectly comfortable in his own skin and Sakura was a little envious. She knew her body was as fit as it would ever be but that didn't put an end to the slight self consciousness she supposed would always linger with her and with every other female she knew.

Sai returned with a thick board about a foot in length that he would use as a palette as well as five bottles of poster paint, the kind Sakura remembered using to finger paint when she was small. As he arranged his supplies on the table, she saw that he had selected red, blue, yellow, black and white; all that he would need to create every color he could imagine.

Finally situated, Sai dragged the table to the edge of the bed and pulled away the covers tangled around his subject and let them fall to the floor, leaving nothing but the cover sheet and his nude team mate.

Sakura could feel her pulse begin to quicken as the bed dipped under Sai's weight as he joined her on the white sheets. She held her breath as dark eyes fixed on her and swept slowly from her head to her toes and back up to meet her eyes again. She could tell he was envisioning what he would paint, his artistic mind conjuring up an image that would be the most flattering on her body.

"Are you ready Sakura?" he asked gently, seeming to sense the anxiety in her.

Sakura nodded wordlessly, biting her lip slightly as she tried to force the tension from her body. There was nothing to be concerned about. He had already seen everything there was when it came to the subject of her body, so why was she so apprehensive?

"Just relax." He said simply, bringing a hand to rest over her belly and sliding it to her thighs, up over her ribs and down her arms, getting a feel for her skin's firmness and texture before beginning his work. The caressing motions soothed Sakura's jitters and she allowed her eyes to close, focusing on the warmth of his fingers and letting a little more of her uneasiness dissipate with every breath.

When his hand left her body, she opened her eyes to watch him mix a large amount of black and blue together on his palette with one of the larger brushes. Wordlessly, he moved the board to the bed beside him before he loaded the bristles with color and straddled her hips.

"Don't move." He ordered in a soft voice that left no room for argument.

The kunoichi watched as he lowered the brush to sweep over her collarbone, leaving a trail of midnight blue in its wake. Sakura drew an involuntary breath at the cold substance spreading over her skin but refrained from moving as Sai began to work intently on his creation.

She couldn't see what he was painting but trusted him whole heartedly. Sai had an artistic sense like no one else she knew and whatever he designed would no doubt be beautiful. She trained her eyes on his face, watching it slip into an expression of near serenity as he spread the dark pigment over her throat and down into her cleavage. Never had she seen him so peaceful and it was all too obvious to her that this was something Sai enjoyed immensely. Art was his refuge, his sanctuary, and she had been deemed worthy enough to enter this sacred space with him.

Sai reloaded the brush and continued to make a sweeping stroke up the side of her neck until she could feel the paint's wetness on her cheek. Curiosity filled her and she wanted to know exactly what kind of picture he had planned but knew it would all come together soon enough. For the time being she just watched him, fascinated by his calm expression and sure hands as he went about his task.

He continued to pull the inky black color over to the fullness of one breasts and as the rough bristles brushed over a sensitive nipple, she felt muscles deep within her core contract slightly. A warm, liquid heat began to form in the pit of her stomach and it only increased as he dragged the bush over her flesh again and again She could feel the bud harden against the bristles as they stroked over the uneven planes of her breast and soon the skin was tingling under the gentle stimulation.

She wanted to whimper, to moan but she held it in, not wanting to distract him from what he was doing. If he knew what he was doing to her, he didn't make it known and continued painting her skin the inky hue all the way to her thighs, leaving seemingly random spots bare and trailing the darkness down her thighs in tendrils. When he spread her legs slightly to curl a black streak high up on her inner thigh, Sakura did whimper slightly, and though it was barely audible, she was sure Sai had heard it. Her suspicions were confirmed when Sai looked up at her, pausing in her work momentarily.

"Sorry." She murmured, fighting down a blush that threatened to rise up under the paint on her chest and neck.

Instead of looking at her blankly or chastising her, the dark haired man simply said, "Don't be. Art is meant to move people so let your body act accordingly."

"O-ok." Sakura whispered, hoping she could react and still not move like he had requested.

Having finished with the black, he leaned over to rinse out his brush and blot it dry on the cloth, turning the water in the jar murky and dark. He selected the blue and yellow bottles and worked puddles of both together on his palette. After careful additions of white, he had produced a color that reminded Sakura of her own medical chakra; a soft aquamarine color.

He picked up a smaller brush and applied the paint with quicker strokes, the pressure of the brush feeling lighter as he accepted whatever he had already drawn instead of trying to cover the whole area. In only a few minutes, he was finished with the color and rinsed the brush before picking up another.

He then reached for the bottles of red and white, pouring ample amounts of each onto his palette before adding a squirt of yellow as an afterthought.

Sakura watched as he began mixing various shades until he found one that satisfied him and leaned over her body once more, being careful not to smudge any paint that was still wet.

This time he attended to a patch on the left side of her abdomen, painting with smaller, more precise strokes as opposed to the sweeping motions of before. Sakura watched him focus on his task, his face only inches from her skin and she could feel his hot breath wash over her belly.

His eyes were intense, his attention directly completely on what he was doing but every now and then he would look up at her and meet her eyes, swallowing her up in their dark depths. Perhaps this was why she had been so afraid to allow him to do this. The whole experience was surprisingly intimate but in a way completely different from when they had had sex. There was nothing sexual in his touch, although her body seemed to react regardless, yet there was an undeniable gravitation she felt towards him. It was like he was worshipping her very body paying homage with paints and a paintbrush, but in a way she was also a servant to him, obeying him and lying still beneath him while he drew what he wished.

Sai seemed to be satisfied with that area and moved on to another, stretching his body out and laying next to her so he could work on a patch on her shoulder. She could feel the heat of his own body radiating over her skin and the sensation made her want to be totally immersed in her warmth, to be wrapped up in his arms like after they had made love. It was like he was casting a strange spell on her and Sakura wondered briefly if another woman had ever been wooed like this by him.

"Sai, she murmured, turning her face to the side to look at him as he worked. "Have you every painted someone else's body like this?"

"No." he answered, dragging cool, creamy paint over her skin.

"Why not?"

At this question, the artist paused and looked at her, both of them stretched on their sides and faces nearly close enough to kiss.

"Because I've never wanted to before." He answered, and by the clarity in his onyx eyes Sakura knew it was true.

"Then why me?" she persisted. "There were plenty of other girls you could have chosen."

Sai appeared thoughtful before answering.

"It was almost like I didn't have a choice. I just felt compelled to draw you as if there was a great piece of art needed to be recognized and I could only complete it if you were my canvas."

"Oh…" Sakura said, a little taken aback by his response. The way he said it made her sound almost…special to him, an inspiration or a muse that enabled him to do things he couldn't complete otherwise.

He mixed another shade of soft pink and finished the patch on her shoulder and moved on to the breast that he hadn't already covered in dark blue. The instant the cool paint touched the sensitive pink peak, a shiver ran through her as she felt her nipple tighten under the caress of soft bristles.

When he swirled the brush around the hard nub, she moaned low in the back of her throat, no longer able to keep silent. Hooded green eyes finally slid closed as fine hairs stroked over her again and again and Sakura was aware of the molten heat in her belly growing, twisting, threatening to reach the brim and spill over, sending fire and lust throughout her whole body.

Sai had to know what he was doing to her. If her soft pleasured sounds and trembling thighs didn't give it away then the sharp musky scent of her desire certainly did. However, Sai continued to do nothing but paint, mixing a variety of colors and applying the shades to her with masterful strokes of his brush.

When he was finished with her breast, he moved back up to her neck, moving in a diagonal line from her left shoulder to right thigh. By now Sakura was so highly sensitized that every inch felt like an erogenous zone, boiling blood pumping just beneath the surface as she ached for some kind of stimulation at the dripping apex of her thighs. She was moaning freely now, neither wanting, nor having the ability to suppress her moans any longer. She wanted him to know what he was doing to her, wanted him to see what kind of effect his art was having on her body. She was positively throbbing for him and thoughts of the way he had driven himself in and out of her quivering sex earlier only made her more heated.

When at last he worked on the bare patch of skin just above the thatch of wiry pink pubic hair, Sakura thought she would burst. The muscles of her lower abdomen twitched as he drew the brush over the soft surface, and even though he had told her not to move, Sai didn't seem to mind. Hot sparks shot along her spine as the brush dipped and swirled. Every minute seemed to stretch into an eternity and Sakura had lost all track of time. She didn't know how long until sunrise or how many hours she had already suffered blissfully. In a strange way, she actually didn't want this moment they were sharing to come to an end. The intimacy of it, the way he looked at her, it was unlike anything Sakura had ever experienced and she felt powerful, beautiful, wanted, while at the same time feeling like a captive, a slave to his art for until he said she could move, she was his prisoner, no matter how bad she wanted to press her lips to those that were set in a grim line of concentration.

"Sai," she whispered shakily as his brush swept over a spot that made ever nerve ending burn.

"Shh. I'm almost done." He soothed, picking up the finest brush on the table and dipping it in black paint. The miniscule hairs would have ticked if the kunoichi hadn't been so highly aroused but as she was, she found herself panting even harder as he worked to put in the last of the detailing on his creating.

At last he pulled away to examine her, taking in her whole body and the picture he had made. Sakura could only watch as he appraised her, green eyes burning as hot as the rest of her as she waited for his approval. After a long, thoughtful silence, Sai dipped the thin brush into the black paint once more and placed his signature right above her left hip. It was finished, the piece of art that Sakura had become was complete.

"Do you want to see it?" he asked, and Sakura could only nod breathlessly. After feeling, experiencing every brush stroke, of course she wanted to see the picture they made.

The dark haired artist offered her his hand and pulled her up from the sheets.

"Close your eyes."

Sakura obliged and put her trust entirely in the hands of her team mate and allowed him to gently lead her behind the bed to where she thought the bathroom was and positioned her directly in front of what must be the door.

"Can I open my eyes?" Sakura whispered, her voice made husky by the lust that was still coursing through her.

"Not yet."

The kunoichi remained still as Sai let go of her hand and moved away. She could hear him rearranging what she assumed to be the lamp and candles as she waited for him, enclosed in the darkness behind her eyelids.

She could feel the cool air on her skin and remembered that she was totally naked. She had been so comfortable with Sai, so completely wrapped up in him that she had forgotten her own state of undress. She wasn't exactly sure what that meant but she was pretty sure it was significant, especially since she was a fairly modest woman and had blushed crimson only a few hours ago when he had first laid eyes on her skin.

She felt Sai's presence behind her and felt his hands ghost over her hips and up her sides, tracing her curves with no more than a phantom touch.

"Now can I open my eyes?" Sakura whispered, unconsciously leaning back into his touch.

"Yes."

His whisper against her ear sent shivers once more along the kunoichi's spine as her eyes fluttered open. The view that awaited her in the full length mirror hung on his bathroom door was truly breathtaking and for a moment, it was all Sakura could do to stare in amazement at the body she hardly recognized as hers, so transformed was it through her tem mate's remarkable work.

"Sai," she whispered, her eyes still glued to her own visage in awe and wonder. "It's absolutely beautiful."


	5. Chapter 5

Another week, another chapter. As always, this story contains smut so be advised.

I do not own Naruto.

Bonded

"Sai," she whispered, her eyes still glued to her own visage in awe and wonder. "It's absolutely beautiful."

Her body had been utterly transformed, her pale skin now shining blue and pink and green with the masterful application of paint.

For a moment, she could only stare in awe at what he had done to her, how beautiful he had made her, for this kind of beauty she had never before seen in herself. Yet Sai had seen it, and brought it to the surface so she could witness it too. This is how he really saw her, beneath her harsh words and angry fists, beneath the inhuman strength and master skills. Her profession of kunoichi and medic were all stripped away and now she was a woman and a stunning one at that. He had managed to leave her soul as naked as her body and it was something Sakura had never experienced before, but rather than be ashamed or afraid, she embraced it because she trusted him, because he was bonded to her.

Somehow, in the expanse of one night, he had accomplished his goal; bringing them so close together that Sakura could never again imagine what it would be like without the artist in her life. He hadn't done it through careful scheming or even through passionate sex, but through the naïve innocence of a child and his true desire to include her in his passion for art, something that was irrefutably apparent with just one glance at what he had painted.

Her nude torso was a rich shade of midnight blue, covering her from collarbone to hip. Tendrils of the inky hue snaked down onto her arms, thighs and up the column her neck. The color wasn't flat but had lighter distortions and shading that made it look like water. It reminded Sakura of when she had stood with the artist on the red bridge the night before, listening to the crickets and staring out into the water that reflected the darkness of the sky above. That moment seemed like forever ago and she wondered how so much could have changed in just one night.

However, the part that really caught her breath and made this work a masterpiece was the beautiful pink cherry blossoms that bloomed all over her body, looking so real that one might think that if they stretched out their hand and touched them, the silky texture under their fingertips would be real petals instead of soft skin. There was one near her neck, one spread out over her shoulder, a large one on her right breast that made Sakura flush at the remembrance of its creation; how hot she had been, how much she had wanted him, and the blossom that resided right above the patch of pink curls between her legs only fanned the flame as she recalled how her center had practically throbbed for him as her body called out for his. A trail of individual petals stretched from one shoulder and diagonally to her hip as if they were being carried on an unfelt breeze. Beneath the pink petals, a spider web network of thin green lines curved and twisted, looking almost like chakra threads ensnaring flowers and holding them in place. The color also happened to match her eyes perfectly. The overall image was magnificent and unique and would have taken Sakura a lifetime to create something like this on her own.

Her eyes finally lifted to meet Sai's in the mirror. He was watching her intently as always but this time his lips held the faintest trace of a smile, no doubt brought on by her awestruck reaction.

Sakura returned the smile in the mirror and linked her arms back behind his neck.

"You're amazing," she whispered, liking how his hands continued to slide up and down her sides.

"All I did was draw something that suited you," he said in a low husky tone. "Just like you, these flowers appear beautiful and delicate. They are soft and pink and overwhelming at times but their splendor is seldom paralleled. However, unlike the flowers, you have an inner strength that is endlessly surprising. Coupled with graceful femininity and moments of vulnerability, you become quite an unpredictable person with a quiet beauty that shines inside and out."

"Is that what you really think of me?" Sakura whispered breathlessly.

"After growing so close to you, yes."

His eyes, as dark as the ink he drew with, remained fixated on her and Sakura noticed that he wasn't looking at her naked body or what he had drawn on it but at _her_, her face, as if he couldn't look away. Together, they gazed at each other in the mirror, the artist and his work of art and Sakura felt that familiar heat that had been momentarily forgotten begin to return. She was now all too aware of his naked body pressed to hers and the wetness that had accumulated at her sex. She wanted him, wanted him to take her all over again but first there was something she wanted him to do.

"Sai," she murmured while holding his gaze. "I want you to draw me one more time."

The shinobi said nothing but a subtle change in his expression alerted Sakura that he wasn't sure why she would ask that of him.

"After this paint is gone, your art will be nothing more than a memory. I want a piece of it to hang on to. I want to remember how I looked and how I felt as your work of art. I want you to draw me how I am now and let me keep the sketch."

"A picture won't do you justice."

"I know," Sakura answered, loosing her arms from around his neck and twisting in his grip to face him. "But I want you to try, just so I can have something to remember this by."

The artist seemed to consider her words a moment before dropping his hands from her sides.

"Alright."

Without any warning, Sakura leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, being careful not to let their bodies touch and ruin the paint. Sai seemed a little surprised but regained his wits enough to deepen the kiss until their tongues were intertwined. When they finally broke apart, Sakura was panting and the artist could feel his body beginning to stir again, alerting him to the primal needs he had suppressed for so many years. However, he had a task to complete first and as lovely as his team mate was, he could control himself while he drew one last picture of her.

He drew away from her and took in her body for a moment, imagining what the best pose would be to display the painting. She couldn't be sitting or the image would be distorted, so that meant she would have to lie down or stand.

The artist walked to the door and took the mirror off its hook. He then beckoned for his subject and arranged her so her back was against the door. Sakura nearly moaned at the contact of his hands on her, positioning her limbs the way he wanted so her arms were once more above her head, gently gripping the door jam while her legs were slightly apart with one bent so she sat into her hip a little. Her back was arched a little and her burning green eyes bore into him from beneath lush lashes. She looked exactly how she felt; sexy, beautiful and wanting a man's touch badly.

Sai grabbed an empty sketchpad and a fistful of colored pencils from one of the many cluttered surfaces and made slight adjustments to his lighting sources. After he pulled up the chair that had been by the bed, he sat down with the pad in his lap and began to try and recreate the vision before him even though he knew all his talent still wouldn't be enough to capture her image.

He worked quickly but precisely, sketching her outline with a normal pencil first before adding detail and shading in color. He couldn't help but notice his body's reaction as he drew, for every moment he looked at her made his blood boil a little harder. He could feel his manhood beginning to harden and realized he had never had an emotional response like this to a subject before; but how could he help it when she looked at him like that, her eyes all liquid fire and heat, her chest practically heaving with every breath and her shapely body covered by a layer of paint which he found to be the sexiest attire in the world. She was his muse and his masterpiece, team mate and companion and he realized that all the Icha Icha books he had read could never accurately describe the passion he felt, nor the nature of their relationship, for being bonded together turned out to be far more complex than he ever would have guessed but now that it had happened, he wouldn't have it any other way.

With a few strokes of his pencil, the image was completed and he signed the picture with a corresponding scribble that matched the one on her hip.

Wordlessly, he turned the sketchpad around so she could see the finished work and she pushed away from the wall to walk towards him, painted hips swaying.

She took the pad from his hands and held it for a moment, a genuine smile of happiness on her face.

"Thank you."

The artist gently took it from her hands and set it on the floor behind him before tugging her into his lap so she was straddling him on the chair.

"Sai!" she squeaked, placing her hands on her shoulders to brace herself so she wouldn't collapse against him. "You're going to ruin the paint."

"I can always paint you again," he whispered, placing a hand on her upper back and pressing her forwards until her chest was against his and her cheek was resting against his shoulder.

She could feel his erect manhood brush against her belly and instinctively rolled her hips against his. He had teased her for so long and now she was going to have him, even if it was at the expense of the picture he had placed on her skin.

Turning her head she began to press hot kisses against his neck, making the shinobi moan and trail his hands down her back to cup the globes of her ass.

The pink haired woman licked along the shell of his ear before taking the lobe between her teeth and biting softly. She could feel the shiver that ran through him and smiled as she pulled away to whisper, "Put it inside me."

Even a sexual novice like Sai knew exactly what those words meant and the artist obligingly lifted her up, his hands grasping her ass firmly and slid her back down while Sakura made sure to align their bodies perfectly.

Ragged moans escaped both their lips as Sakura felt his shaft fill her once again, stretching her tight canal as she slid down to the base. Her plentiful lubrication eradicated any painful friction there might have been and Sakura set about grinding her hips against him, trying to wedge him within her as tightly as possible.

Sai groaned her name as slick walls contracted around him and began to ripple as she moved her hips in slow circles, forcing him inside her until he bumped against her cervical wall. Her lush breasts were pressed flat against him and her fingers came up to tangle in his hair as he griped her hips and coaxed her to move up and down in a slow, steady rhythm.

The paint that had once been dry grew wet again when their bodies began to sweat as they undulated against each other. Sai could feel the slick slide of her torso against his, aided by sticky paint that smeared with their movements, soon coating his own chest as well.

Once again he was on fire for her, gripped by an unstoppable desire to thrust up into her. Every thrust evoked a cry and every cry drove him on until he was totally lost in her world. The scent of sweat and sex and paint filled his nostrils as her whole body writhed on his lap.

He reached between their bodies to cup her breasts, letting his thumbs rub over taunt nipples and watched as her head fell back in ecstasy as she arched into his palms. The paint on her skin worked its way between his fingers and under his nails as he fondled her but neither seemed to care. Every toss of her head sent pink stands flying about her face in an erotic display that seemed to pull Sai in and hypnotize him. When he was inside her like this, everything else around him seemed to melt away and not even all those years in ANBU could make him aware of his surroundings. She was like a drug, numbing some senses and heightening others, pulling him in to this agonizingly blissful chaos.

The hands on her breasts slid over her shoulders to her back, pressing her to him desperately, leaving streaks of mottled blue and pink and green and brown. Her hands tightened in his hair as she pulled him in for another kiss that seared his lips with its intensity, muffling her moans that were growing louder as she was swept further away with every moment.

Every downwards press of her hips sent pleasure flowing through her, not in mind shattering jolts but in rolling waves that continued to grow until she thought she would drown. She was lost in an ocean of bliss and soon she would be in over her head but Sakura didn't slow down, working her body against her lover's relentlessly.

Sai had pulled her tongue into his mouth and was sucking it in time with his thrust. The combined sensations made the kunoichi shudder against him, releasing her grip on his hair and raking paint covered fingers down his back, leaving evidence of their love making with the very materials that had made her his masterpiece. When he finally released her she gulped oxygen into her starved lungs before clinging to him tighter, sobbing incoherently that she was about to come.

She was beautiful, absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful and he told her so as she pumped her hips against him urgently. Her nails sunk into the corded muscle of his back, smearing sweat and paint as she reached her peak, arching her back and screaming into the empty room.

Sai groaned as he felt her clamp down around him but grit his teeth and rode it through, refusing to surrender just yet.

When she finally sagged against him, the artist stood up and took the exhausted woman with him, supporting her with a hand under each toned cheek as he carried her to the bed and laid her down on her back.

With a lot of effort on her part, Sakura was able to crack open a jade colored eye to look at him from beneath heavy lids. He was still looking at her as always, observing her as if she were something fascinating, but this time there was also hot lust in his eyes and she knew immediately that he was not done with her yet.

"Sakura," he whispered, her name coming out in reverent tones as he traced a thumb over her cheek, leaving a smear of purplish gray.

He pulled away to observe her disheveled form without leaving her body completely. His art was now nothing more than a mess of muddy colors, as if they had been experimenting with preschool finger paints on each other's bodies. The sweat thinned hues were everywhere, even in her rose colored locks but it still couldn't dull the beauty of her in the afterglow. Even limp and exhausted, panting and sweaty, he couldn't help but admire her and he wondered if that's what happened to you when you became so close to a person, you couldn't see them as anything but radiant.

Bracing his hands on either side of her head, he leaned down until their chests were touching once more and pushed his hips forward, encasing himself fully in her liquid heat. Immediately, Sakura's whimpers started anew as he began to build her up towards climax again, his torso sliding effortlessly along hers and smudging the paint further as they created their own designs with wandering fingers and hands that trailed and clawed and gripped. The friction of his body against hers only accelerated the ride towards orgasm and soon both of them were on the edge.

She surprised him when she rolled them both over and took over setting the pace, choosing a rhythm slower than what Sai would have liked. He was already so close he thought he was going to explode but she was riding him with slow rolls of her hips, forcing him to hold out as she prolonged their coupling.

He ran his hands up over her hips, fingers cutting trails through the wet paint to pinch and roll her erect nipples between his fingers. The pink haired woman moaned and arched but didn't increase her speed any. At this rate, he would lose it again before she reached completion and he remembered what had happened last time.

Gripping her hips, he rolled her over again so she was once again pinned under him, sending sheets flying. He began to thrust into her hard and deep at a pace much quicker than the one she had set but he could tell by the renewed volume of her moans that she was enjoying it.

He could see it in her eyes as she stared up at him that she was at the brink of another climax and he had leaned his lesson the first time. Although his body ached to release, he continued to thrust into her as she crossed her ankles behind him and held on tightly, her hands fisting in the sheets and leaving distorted hand prints behind. Only when those glistening green eyes lost focus and her vaginal muscles spasm rapidly did he allow himself to give in, emptying his seed inside her with several hot spurts before collapsing on top of his trembling team mate.

His limbs felt leaden and lifting them seemed like far more trouble than it was worth and for a while he was content with just laying there and listening to the rapid thrum of Sakura's heartbeat slowly return to normal. He didn't care that the fact his head was against her chest meant his hair and cheek were now covered in paint. He didn't care that sweat and paint and possible his own seed would no doubt stain these sheets. All he knew was that he felt satisfied, fulfilled, a feeling that was hard to get used to after so many years of feeling nothing at all.

"Mmm," Sakura muttered sleepily beneath him. "I think I'm ready for a nap."

Sai was inclined to agree but he knew that if they fell asleep like this now, the paint would dry and they would stick, not to mention sleep the whole day away. As good as that sounded, they needed to get cleaned up before anything else.

Summoning all the strength he had, he rolled them over so she was on top and cradled her against his chest gently.

"Sakura, we both need a shower."

"Later," she mumbled, preferring sleep over rinsing away the pigment that was beginning to cake on her skin.

As much as he wanted to hold her smaller form in his arms and drift off, he knew they would regret waking up and having to pull their bodies apart that had been sealed together with paint. Since she obviously wasn't going to cooperate, he waited until his strength returned and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her towards the door.

He turned the brass knob, leaving smudges of paint behind and for a moment, both were temporarily blinded for the bathroom was filled with light and their eyes had to adjust after being in the candlelit room.

When the kunoichi was finally able to focus on her new surroundings, her fatigue was forgotten. While the main room had been shrouded in darkness, either having windows disguised by curtains or simply having none at all, his spacious bathroom had one wall that was practically all glass. She hadn't known exactly where Sai lived but now that she could see outside, she discovered that he must live on top of the rock facing that contained the carved faces of past Hokages because she was now greeted with the sight of her beloved village spread out below her and beyond Konoha's gates, an endless expanse of forest. The view was made even more magnificent by the rising sun that was creeping above the horizon, tinting the world in soft pinks and grays as another day was about to start.

"Sai, this is absolutely amazing," she breathed as he carried her into the room.

"Yes, the view is quite inspiring sometimes. I've painted it once or twice but I prefer life drawings to landscapes."

The shinobi set her down on the tiled floor and for the first time she noticed a large claw foot tub in the corner with a shower head sprouting from one wall. Sakura's own apartment lacked a tub of any sort and she envied him for being able to take a bubble bath in the comfort of his own home, although she doubted he actually did.

"This house is so beautiful," she murmured awe as she continued to look out the window. "How did you end up with it?"

Sai walked over to the tub and cranked on the hot water as he spoke.

"This is where my parents lived and when they died, they left it to my brother and me. After he passed away, I continued to live here by myself when I wasn't on ANBU missions."

"Oh," Sakura said softly, wrapping her arms around herself as the chill of the tiles began to get to her. "Don't you ever get lonely?"

"No," Sai stated, running his hand under the running water to see if it was hot. "I like my privacy and nobody ever bothers me up here. It's peaceful and quiet."

'Another reason you're socially retarded.' Sakura thought with a quiet smile. However, she had to admit it was rather lovely up here. Where else could an entire wall in your bathroom be glass and you wouldn't have to worry about anyone watching you?

Satisfied with the water temperature, Sai turned on the shower and held out his hand for Sakura to come join him. The kunoichi wanted to giggle at the thought of readily accepting his offer, for a day ago, she would have claimed that she would rather endure a training session with Gai than shower with the peculiar artist, yet here she was taking his hand and letting him help her into the tub. Life sure was full of surprises.

She sighed as the hot spray hit her muscles and immediately the water running down the drain turned brown as the paint loosened from her skin and was washed away. However, stubborn bits of color stuck to her everywhere and she knew she'd have to give her body a thorough scrubbing to get it all off.

As if reading her mind, Sai climbed in after her with two wash cloths and a bar of soap. He positioned himself behind her and began to work up a lather and soon Sakura felt the warm press of a sudsy cloth on her back.

He was methodical in his cleaning but also gentle and nearly tender and Sakura couldn't help but let her eyes drift close as he spread the suds over her neck and shoulders and down her back, not even pausing before focusing his attention on her butt where paint undoubtedly also remained. Sakura was surprised to find she wasn't even offended by the act. In fact, what he was doing felt rather nice as he rubbed the cloth in circular motions over the pale globes, making sure to clean every inch.

Just when the kunoichi thought she might fall asleep standing up, Sai announced that he was finished and handed her the rag so she could clean up the front half of her body. With soap in hand, she was able to scrub her chest, belly, arms and legs until she felt clean once again and noticed that Sai was doing the same thing behind her. Gently, she took the cloth from him once she had finished with her own body and prompted him to turn around so she could return the favor of washing his back.

Muddied colors in the form of long streaks and hands prints still covered his alabaster skin and she could hardly believe she had been impassioned enough to leave her mark on him like this, for as the paint was washed away, long red welts marred him where her nails had scraped. Though they were nothing more than superficial abrasions, Sakura had never pictured herself to be so wild in bed. She traced her thumb down one of the puffy red irritations lightly but Sai didn't flinch so she supposed they didn't hurt but she still felt a little guilt for leaving marks on the otherwise flawless surface of his muscular back.

"Sai, I'm sorry but it looks like I scratched you when we were…you know," she said apologetically. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"Don't be," Sai stated simply. "You have bruises all over your back from me so guess that makes us even."

The kunoichi gasped and turned to try and see the marks he spoke up but unfortunately, most of them were in a place she couldn't see. She did however get a glimpse of four purple blotches on the left side of her rear that were no doubt left by his fingers digging into her. She had been so caught up in the moment that she hadn't even noticed how hard he was gripping her. If similar marks covered her entire back then that indeed made them equally guilty.

She continued to clean down his back, finding more nail marks beneath the layers of paint. When she reached his butt, she hesitated a little but figured if he touched hers it should be ok to touch his too. She was a medic for crying out loud! It's not like she hadn't seen one before, but touching Sai like this was a little more intimate than hospital duties.

The skin was firm with nothing but tight muscle beneath and even through the soapy cloth she could feel the definition of his body clearly. It was almost a rule that male shinobi had fantastic bodies, kunoichi too for that matter, and no matter how many masculine bodies she saw each day, it was still a different thing entirely to be with somebody like this, not as a patient or even a team mate, but as something closer.

She managed to finish cleaning him without succumbing to the blush that threatened to tint her cheeks when she saw that his butt was also covered with scratches. Apparently she had grabbed him here too while he had pounded into her passionately. Even now, despite their nudity, the thought of having had sex with the artist seemed surreal to her, but there was evidence everywhere that they had indeed made love, and the picture of her Sai had drawn would remind her of this night for as long as she lived.

After rinsing the last of the soap from his body, Sai cranked off the water and went to step out of the tub but Sakura caught his hand and pulled him back. His eyebrows were raised in confusion and he opened his mouth to speak but she stopped him with a finger to his lips before the words could come out.

"Sai, you have this wonderful bathtub and a glorious view of Konoha, but how often do you actually take a bath and enjoy it?" she asked with a smile.

"I don't take baths. Showers are quicker and more effective."

Sakura had to repress the urge to roll her eyes. That was just the sort of response she had expected from him. While she admired his appreciation for some things, others were completely lost on him and she wasn't about to let him go another day without experiencing the wonders of a bubble bath.

Unfortunately, she knew he wouldn't have a bottle of bath bubbles just lying around so the bottle of generic shampoo on the floor near the tub would have to do.

She turned the hot water on again, letting it come out of the faucet instead of the showerhead. She ordered the shinobi to sit as she plugged up the drain and squirted a generous amount of the light blue liquid into the running stream. Almost immediately, plentiful suds began to form and the air was filled with the spicy and sharp scent of his shampoo, like sandalwood and eucalyptus and Sakura settled into the rising water, breathing in the soothing smell.

Before her was the running faucet and to the side, the expansive view of the sun rising over Konoha. She settled back against Sai's chest and hummed in contentment as the water percolated into weary muscles. To her surprise, she felt completely at ease with the socially inept ninja and actually enjoyed his company. This moment they shared, watching the sun rise while enjoying a bath together was both odd and unexpected but as she felt the steady rise and fall of the shinobi's chest behind her, she found that it was the perfect start to her day and it would become a memory she would cherish.

"So now what do we do?" Sai murmured against the top of her head, shifting to spread his legs and let Sakura settle between his thighs.

"Now we relax silly, or is that something you don't know about either?"

"No, I know hw to relax. It's just that this seems like an inefficient use of time," he remarked honestly.

Typical Sai.

"Well, tell you what," Sakura giggled, reaching behind her to grab the artists arms and cross them over her own chest so he was holding her to him. "Why don't we make this time productive by talking?"

"About what?"

"Anything."

"Is talking what you're supposed to do when taking a bubble bath?" he asked sincerely.

Sakura wanted to sigh in exasperation. He had made so much progress in one night but it seemed some things were still clearly beyond him.

"Not usually. Most people take them alone. If you take a bath with someone, that means you're very close to them. I wouldn't recommend you try this with anyone else."

"I see," Sai pondered. "So is this is a ceremony recognizing that the two of us have improved our team bond?"

'Hopeless' was the word that came to the kunoichi's mind. It seemed he would never learn.

"Perhaps if we invite Naruto to take a bubble bath with us, I can get closer to him too."

Ok, now he was starting to scare her.

"Sai, you can't take a bubble bath with Naruto."

"But why not? Once he sees how well we work together in the field and hears about how we built our connection, he'll definitely want to improve his team work skills as well."

While Sai may have impressed her with skills learned through reading Icha Icha books, it was clear the perverted novels gave him no insight when it came to real life.

"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that," Sakura said, turning off the faucet with her toe so she wouldn't have to leave his comfortable embrace. The fragrant bubbles were heady and soothing and she would have been lulled into a pleasant sleep if it wasn't for their conversation. "What we did in your bed is an act meant only for two people and besides, Naruto isn't the type to allow guys to touch him like that."

"But there were several scenes in Kakashi-sempai's books in which three people had sex." Sai replied against the dampness of Sakura's shoulder. "Sometimes it was two men and a woman and other times two women and a man but both ways seem physically possible."

'Well yeah, but that's because the man writing those scenes is the world's biggest pervert.' Sakura thought to herself.

"Sai, you can_not_ tell Naruto what we did tonight. I think it would upset him if he knew we were together like this."

She didn't want to keep things from her team mate, especially one that had been there for her through thick and thin but she honestly didn't think Naruto would take it well if he knew what she had done. She didn't want to make it seem like the sex she had shared with the blonde would make him only one partner out of many, because that wasn't her intention at all. She just knew that jealousy had a way of changing people, and if their team dynamics were shaky before, they would be horrendous if Naruto were to harbor resentment towards the two of them.

"Do you really expect him not to notice the differences in the way we will interact?" Sai asked calmly. "It will be extremely obvious that something between us has changed and if it makes us work better as a team, I don't see what there is to be upset about, especially if we want to include him as well. Besides, you two have already joined bodies once, I'm sure you can convince him to do it again."

"Yeah, but throwing you into the mix makes a _big_ difference," Sakura sighed patting the pale thigh that rested on the outside of hers.

"I don't see why it should. Having you between the two of us could make for a very pleasurable experience and would undoubtedly bring us all closer, don't you think?"

Now _that_ was something Sakura hadn't considered. Sex with Sai ha been awesome but what would happen if she had two men working to please her? She imagined herself in bed with the two of them, Naruto's mouth kissing hers while Sai's mouth was busy licking her…ok, maybe this plan _was_ worth giving a try.

"It won't be easy to get him to agree," Sakura said thoughtfully, feeling a little bad that she had ulterior motives for considering Sai's plan.

"Well, you were disagreeable at first too and now look where we are," Sai said, uncrossing an arm from around her to absently run his fingers over her taunt stomach. "I suppose we could always use the same methods on him."

The kunoichi shuddered lightly under his touch. She had already gotten herself slightly worked up with thoughts of a Team 7 threesome and his fingers were only making her hotter. While his touches were seemingly innocent, they were arousing just the same and when his fingers dipped under water to absently play with the pink curls between her legs, a moan slipped out without her permission.

"Sakura, what's the matter?" he asked, sounding concerned.

"What you're doing feels good, you idiot," Sakura panted as his fingers combed through the candy colored hairs. If she didn't know any better, she thought he was seducing her on purpose.

"Oh," Sai said, sounding a little confused. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No," Sakura moaned in frustration when his fingers began to pull away. Honestly, it was like he had cast some sort of jutsu on her to make her want him like this, but his fingers had been so close to her sex that it only would have taken a minor adjustment to slip them inside her and she found herself quite disappointed when he didn't. "Keep going Sai. I want you to touch me."

While Sai didn't completely understand, he had no problem with granting her request, especially since he enjoyed touching her supple body as well. When his fingers reached her slit, she seemed to raise her hips in an invitation to enter her so he did, sliding one finger into her tightness that was wet with bathwater and her own juices.

Her keening cry filled the tiled room and bounced off the walls, the trembling of her legs sending the water sloshing against the side of the tub as his finger pumped in and out slowly. The artist noted that it felt good to have her writhing against him and the way her ass ground back against him was making him hard all over again. Perhaps this was why she liked bubble baths so much, because the hot water lapping at his torso only added to the pleasurable sensations he was feeling.

Sakura was trying to figure out how the hell this had happened. At this rate, she'd be having sex with the artist _again _and it seemed there was no keeping her hands off of him. She wondered briefly if things would get awkward during their next training session or if they would really interact on a deeper level and solidify their team work like he hoped. If things went well, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to team up on Naruto and pleasure him like Sai had forcefully pleasured her. If the blonde really had a problem with being touched by another man, then they both could focus their attentions on her which opened up a whole new realm of perverted yet undeniably appealing possibilities.

Her train of though was promptly derailed however when Sai's other hand found her nipples and began pinching and pulling them alternately. She squirmed against him, causing enough commotion to nearly splash water out of the tub and onto the floor but the artist seemed much more interested in her than the mess she was making.

"Is this why you like bubble baths so much?" he asked, leaning down to press hot kisses to the side of her neck where her wet hair wasn't matted to her skin.

"No Sai, I've never really—ahhhh!"

Sakura's back arched, lifting her hips right out of the water as the shinobi slid another digit inside of her. When her pelvis came crashing down, she _did_ splash water all over the floor. Her hands were clinging to the edge of the tub on either side of her and she could feel his erection prod her rear every time she squirmed against him. For someone who was so brain dead when it came to socializing, Sai sure knew his way around a woman's body, but maybe she had her sensei to thank for that. Then again, that was another person she didn't plan on breathing a word of this to. He was so perceptive that he would probably figure it out anyways.

Sai's fingers continued to thrust slowly, rhythmically, while his teeth grazed her shoulder and his other hand cupped her breasts and teased her nipples. She was completely lost to the world, focusing only on him, enveloped in his skin and the hot water and the smell of his shampoo as her feminine muscles contracted sharply around his invading fingers. Before her was all of Konoha spread out in a blanket of green, the sun now completely above the horizon and shining brightly. Those same rays of light seemed to burst forth from her core as she threw back her head and screamed in ecstasy as orgasm overcame her.

She was close to Sai now in a way she had never been close to anyone. He had infiltrated her life somehow and taken her to a place she hadn't thought she could go. With his fingers, his lips, his paint brush and charcoal pencil, he had made her see herself in a new and beautiful light and she supposed she had opened his eyes to a new world as well. They were together now, they were one, at last here in this moment, body and soul and Sakura thought that maybe there was some legitimacy to his seemingly ridiculous plan after all. They were a team, and they were friends, lovers; but above all, they were bonded.

Well, there you have it. This is the end of this particular story but I might do a sequel in which there is a Sai/Saku/Naru threesome. If you guys would like to see this happen, please let me know, otherwise it may be lost forever in the mass of plot bunnies in my brain. Reviews are always appreciated! Thanks for reading.

There is a corresponding piece of fan art for this chapter done by the marvelous Cynchick. The link is on my LJ and on my profile.


End file.
